Zach's Years: Freshman
by Deathlark
Summary: Zach is no regular Gallade. He was born with red skin instead of green. It seemed lucky for him, but when an enemy starts to haunt him for no reason, things get chaotic, and dramatic, and he finds out much more than he should about the world, himself, and those closest to him. 10K Words Per Chapter. Rated M for lang., and mention of sexual scenes. First 2/3 chapters arent too good.
1. Chapter 1, New Kid

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokémon FanFiction. Chapter 1, New Kid.

Author's Note:

To Any Readers Of My Homepage : SURPRISE! This story was kept secret for good reason: It takes a month just to make a chapter. This is also what I have been working on… Heh.

Anyone: I imposed the challenge of no less than 10,000 words per chapter with this story, and for this first one I plan to have 24 chapters, which adds to 240,000 words minimum. Also, parts of this story do hint on my personal life, but I forbid to tell anyone which parts relate. This took a lot of inspiration, so I greatly enjoy any positive remarks. There are going to be four more sections, and those are actual separate things. POV will change more often than you'd expect. 3-4 times per story.

**Disclaimer: If writing is sure to result in victory then you must write! Sun Tzu said that, and I'd say he knows a little more about companies than you do pal, because he invented it! And then he patented it so that no man could copy his one of a kind company! And with his success money he bought two of every copyright on earth, and then he herded them onto a boat, and then he beat the crap outta every single one of them! And from that day forward when any copyrights are together in a place it's called a franchise! Unless it's a collaboration!**

**Big idea is that I don't own any rights to the Pokemon franchise.**

**Other note: The series has cursing in it every now and then, so just pointing it out.**

….

_Think of every great legend you've ever heard of. They always seem to be blessed with something special, or have something great in their life. They may even be regular everyday people that make something good happen. Has there ever been a tale in where someone does something great, where there hero has a secret history, __**and **__also is a one of a kind person?_

….

I sighed and slapped on my hood. My brother and I walked out to the bus, very conscious of whether anyone could see through our jackets. For the most part we were ignored at the bus stop. So good so far. We got on the bus and he had full rights to the back. I had to sit at the front since I was a freshman, and he was a senior. I made sure that my spike wasn't tearing more of the shirt and jacket. The kid I sat next to was a Zoroark. He looked like a freshman too. He ignored me and just stared out the window. I just thought to myself, 'What in the hell am I going to do if a teacher tells me to take off the jacket? Then they're going to see me for who I really am.' The bus ride took a while, and I saw different kids get on. They all seemed absorbed in their conversations and gadgets and what not.

The real important part in this story is not on this bus ride. My name is Zach Regaldi. I come from a heritage of very unique Gallades. My brother is a rare shiny Gallade who is blue. Me however… I am a one of kind. There is no other case in the world like me. Iwas a _red_ Gallade, with a blue spike, and a yellow blade on my head. My colors (except for the white) were completely out of order. I didn't want to get too much attention from it, or who knows what would happen. I live in a suburban town called Heidelberg. Our family for some reason never seemed to run out of money. My parents wouldn't tell me why, and my brother, Brian Regaldi, didn't know either. Brian and I had been taking a private school for the rest of our education till now. Our parents argued and settled that we should go to public school. We were, of course, overjoyed. Brian already had a girlfriend form the private school. She's a Blaziken, and her name is Rachel Johnson. They have known each other for several of years, and have almost always been friends. For me, I don't have friends. I have _allies._ People helping me along the way. I didn't need friends, but they acted as them. People I could talk to. People I could rely on. But I almost never invited allies over. They always invited me. The bus stopped and came to a halt. Everyone immediately got up, so I did to. The bus is far more crowded than the private school bus. We all clattered off and went into the big high school. I took a deep breath, went in, and headed towards my locker. It took me a bit, but I found it in the mess. Oh great, on the end of the lockers. At least it was easy to distinguish. My combination was… 18-43-4. I twisted the dial around and got it open.

"Sir! You are not allowed to wear hoods or jackets during school. Please remove them and put them into your locker," said a teacher. Dang… Compromised. Well, had no choice. Prepare for the amazement. I knew that as soon as I took off the hood and removed my jacket that almost all eyes were on me. They were just staring in awe. It frightened me. I've never been in the center of this much attention. I heard murmurs pass throughout the crowds as I tried to act as if nothing was happening. I rushed and got to class as quickly as possible. The teacher was a Mawile, and looked as if she was in her 50's. Her name was Miss Samonelli. Her mom, Mrs. Samonelli, also worked at the school, but I had no track of that. She was the righting teacher for our team. She greeted me, but of course was staring at the colors of my skin.

Another student came in and asked, "So you're the one who became famous in 20 second huh?" He was an Aggron.

"Unfortunately," I groaned.

"What in the hell do you mean by that? I've never seen that big of a crowd stopper!" he said. I realized he was like the others. Amazed.

"I just… Don't really like to be the center of attention. It makes me nervous," I replied.

"I don't get you… what's your name?" he asked.

"Zach Regaldi," I answered.

"Yeah. My name is Andy Houseworth. I don't understand you… If you wanted to you could hook this entire hallway onto your feet and have them crowded around you," he replied.

"Why would I do that?" I asked. He was appalled by that statement.

"Wha- WHY! What are you from a private school?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered. After my answer he calmed down and realized something.

"Okay… Okay, okay. Let me tell you something. The more people you have in a crowd, the more popular you are. The more respect you get. It's the common goal of every day students," he explained. It was clear to me now. I had that same feeling at the private school, but now it's more important here I see. We calmed down while the rest of the students took their seats. In this grade there are about 12 shinies. Apparently they were a Gardevoir, a Machamp, a Vulcarona, a Feraligatr, a Beedrill, a Gyarados, a Parasect, a Donphan, a Flygon, a Luxray, a Sableye, and a Cryogonal. Overall there are 31 shinies in the school, one of them being Brian. There are only 5 periods in the day, each of them lasting an hour. Period 1 is Arithmetic, period 2 is Battle Class, Period 3 is History/Science, Period 4 is Lunch/Recess, and period 5 is Study Hall. That was the schedule for all students. However, we were all divided into different classes of 25, so no one was in usually in the same class as others. It was going to be hard making friends, considering I am the new kid. But judging by peoples' reactions, that may not be too hard.

So it was off to 1st period, and I watched as the students walked in. Homeroom was the same room as 1st, so I didn't have to go anywhere. Out of the 25, there was quite an assortment. The shiny Gardevoir I mentioned was there, along with a Garchomp, a Blastoise, a Fearow, and a Lucario.

"Good morning class! If you don't know my name already, I am Miss Samonelli. As for the first day of school, I think it would be good if we got to know each other. So one by one, from this side of the room to that side (left to right) that someone stands up and tells there name. That will be all though," she announced. We sighed. I remembered these routines at the private school. I was the first on the end.

"So, what is your name?" she asked.

"My name is Zach Regaldi," I said sternly. I had the ability to keep a straight face in any situation possible.

"Nice. You?" she asked to the next student.

"Jake Susi," said the Lucario. He was selected next to me. We were in rows of 5, and there were 5 columns. They were organized properly, going one column boy, on column girl, and so forth. The school was really cautious about their set up. They made sure that there were equal boys and girls, for no apparent reason. I assumed it had to be some sort of OCD, but it could be something else. She constantly pointed down the line.

"Dan Green," said a student. "Max Smith." "Luke Saska." "Matt Staples." So forth and so forth. It continued on regularly until we got to that shiny Gardevoir. Things got out of hand…

"Well my name is Alexis Fettner, I play softball and…" and so forth. She talked about a minute straight until the teacher said that it was enough. What in the hell was that? She must be a try hard… The day dragged on. The kid behind me seemed to be really smart, but was also the class clown. We got along well though. If you remembered his name was Jake Susi. He was one of those popular kids, but also seemed to have some sort of geek-ish complex. He was friends with a lot of the kids in this class… Oh well. I got to know some other kids that had more exotic ancestors. There was a kid named Shubhankar, who was quite popular, and had some attitude, and not to mention a quick friend of mine whose name was Nihar. He was a Flygon, and was incredibly smart. We got along well, so that was a bonus. We had to learn all about different sentence set-up schemes and what not, along with ancient literature and lore, plus a hard dose of Algebra… Yes, this class by far is the most boring out of all of them. At least it was over already. The teachers also get started with their class regimes very quickly. I guess they're veterans when it comes to teaching.

Up next was Battle Class, and boy was this a blast! For the first part, the most of the kids in the last class were _also _in this class. Jake, Alexis, Nihar, Shubhankar, and 3 others. However the courses were specially designed. There would be collaborative trainings and then solitary trainings.

Collaborative trainings were lessons and battles consisting of different species. They were 2-5 times larger than the solitary trainings which were lessons and battles among the same families. Solitary trainings are just with one family, and none others. Easily said, Eevee solitary trainings were massive. This compartment of classes is also the largest in the school. Adding on with the other teachers, there were roughly 200 teachers _just _for this class.

Lucky and unlucky for me I was put in a solitary training with the Ralts family unit. The teacher seemed to be a rusted up old Gallade, along with a young Gardevoir to aid. Obviously one will be teaching the others.

"Alright then students, my name is Mr. Corton. I am going to be teaching the most of you for this year, except in situations in where your unit will go to Collaborative trainings. I am aided by my assistant Mrs. Angeli," said Mr. Corton. I heard some whispers going around revolving around Mrs. Angeli. I wasn't stupid. You could tell she was really young, and to must Gallades she would be attractive. Would be. I didn't have any of the interests these same guys did. Remember what I said, "I have allies, and they assist me in my missions." A woman would get in the way of said _missions._

"For our first lesson, you already have been taught the specific requests. You by now know the following attacks. For all Gallades you know Psycho-Cut, Night Slash, Quick Attack, and Mach Punch. For Gardevoirs, it is Psychic, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, and Thunderbolt. I understand some of these skills in specific where harder to master than the others. However that is what me and Mrs. Angeli are here to enforce. We will strengthen these techniques and teach you new ones too," said Mr. Corton. It's too bad that I even know an extra move called thunder-punch, plus I knew how to launch Psycho-Cut and Night-Shade. I've been looking up new ones, but my parents won't give me the money to request a mentor to teach specific ones. That's why I want to get a job. It would give me money for myself for personal measures and in times of family need. I've explained this to my parents but they won't listen… As for skills on moves though I've mastered them thoroughly. I could even use a Night-Cut, or a blend between the Psycho-Cut and Night slash, and even bind either one into Quick Attack or Mach Punch to gain speed. "However, it will be easier if we get to know your names." Oh great. Here we go again. Same ritual… Except for me. Things heated up when that happened. When I introduced myself I heard whispers wind around the area. Mr. Corton grinned and I smirked. He understood what was happening. Thing was is that the guys seemed to be jealous of whatever I had and the girls were whispering and then started to giggled. I wouldn't look over, but judging by Mr. Corton's look I could tell something ridiculous was happening. I couldn't find out, but when I glanced I saw a lot of them just looking at me. It freaked me out. I even panicked for a second and used Quick Attack to jump back. Of course, it freaked the fuck out of everyone. My face turned red hot when I realized my blunder. Mr. Corton looked at me intently. Wow, this guy is intimidating. The opposite goes for Mrs. Angeli. She's intimidated. The same thing in arithmetic for Alexis happened in here. (What, we're in the same pokemon family, remember?) She yapped on about her life while no one cared, but I heard behind my back tons of crushes and other rumors. Typical actions of an average teenage Gallade, but I was nowhere near typical. By the sounds of it she a gem to everyone in the group but me, and turned out to be a queen of the popular girl group. I couldn't care less, but apparently it was a big deal to the rest of the Gallades.

Figures really. I'm far more focused on education than anyone else, and almost every Gallade and Gardevoir in the school are in at least a single popular group. However I took pride in my intellect. I was a great battler, and could almost beat my brother in a fair fight that is 3 years older than me. I also am very smart, get near impeccable straight a's (some b's every now and then) and have never gotten a c on a test. I'm quite athletic too; I can lift about 260 lbs. (that's average strength for a Gallade my age), I run at 28 mph (That's ludicrously fast…), and have a good muscular set up as far as my anatomy though. I'm going to try out for a track team and abuse my super speed. For even some of the quickest species like Accelgors, who go up to 25 mph, I can outrun. I've never seen anything quite like it. My brother runs too, and he goes to roughly 24 mph. My dad's always continued on about how the younger child is always the quickest in the family. I'm seeing what he means, as I can outrun my brother quite easily. However, my brother is a hell of a lot stronger than I am. He can lift about 325 pounds, which is 65 more pounds than I can lift, so I am jealous of that. Me and my brother make a dynamic duo. We work well together, we choose what protects the other, and we also help each other out when we truly need it. I listen to him more than anyone else in my family to be honest.

As far as the class goes I thought the other Gallade's didn't even know how to do a tackle. They flopped around all over the place and couldn't fight for shit. Gardevoirs did better, but I have no idea how the standards are for them. It wasn't a big surprise that everyone on my side lost in their Gardevoir vs. Gallade match. Me on the other hand…

Well here's this story. The Gallades had their heads in the clouds and didn't listen to any of Mr. Corton's lectures. They seemed to focused on private matters and they didn't pay attention. Noticeably, they were creamed. Mr. Corton had set up the matches so that they would be even, but even the best of our Gallades (excluding me) couldn't be the worst of the Gardevoirs. Initially pathetic. Okay, how about _my _turn? Strangely enough Alexis (the one who won't shut up) was the best of the Gardevoirs and was also a good student, so I was honestly surprised. We were matched up to fight each other and so the battle started. She was quite smart with her tactics. She would Psybeam then teleport to try and avoid every attack. However, against what you usually expect, I actually no a way to launch the beam of the Night-Slash and Psycho Cut, so I could use it as a means of ranged defense. So what I did is I used Night Slash backwards then tried to Mach Punch her. She teleported out of the way only to be hit by the Night Slash. I also used my high speed in order to gain advantages on her. Once I picked up the moment so that, even if she teleported, I could still catch up to her. However she had the type trump. My fighting-type moves weren't good to use, and she could still use psychic to a good extent. She used psychic as much as possible, but I often used Mach-punch or quick attack to escape and then do my Night Slash routine. In the end, it was a close fight, but I most surely one. They got us some health packs and I won instant respect from the Gallade section. I tried to reject it, but they would constantly bug me. Even some of the Gardevoirs were impressed. How do I know that? That will be in a VERY long time. Not going to spoil the story! However, unlike other popularity rulers, I used it to enforce a better virtue aside from what others do. I used the fame to enforce to work hard and always do your best. It worked too. The Gallades became equivalent fighters to the Gardevoirs, even though I could beat any one of them.

"How did you pull off those moves?" asked a female voice. It was after class and I recognized it as none other than my opponent that I had crushed.

I shrugged and just said, "I've worked hard a lot. I know tactics…"

"Those tactics were really impressive though! You seemed to read everything I was doing and then counter it!" she replied. Get me out of here… I need to get to the next class.

"I need to get to my next class, so I need to go," I said. I was of course trying to get out here. I wasn't the talker, but if I could strike up a good conversation than I would talk a ton. This wasn't a _good _conversation though…

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I told you. To my next class," I answered.

She sighed and said, "No, silly. I meant what room number!" She kind of fit the model popular teen girl.

"Sorry, I know what you mean. The number is 3A22," I replied.

"That's my next class. Here, we could get to know each other on the way," she said. What the heck? Did she _like _me or something? She obviously takes me for a friend, THAT's for sure.

"Uhhh… Okay?" I questioned. She smiled with the response. She had gotten her way of course. She has almost sort of innocence and plead touch to her. I didn't like it really… It was practically irresistible. I guess she realizes she has some sort of charm and she uses it to her fullest extent. Kind of like my tactics, but that's a different story.

"So your name is Zach Regaldi, right?" she asked.

"Correct," I said.

"Good then. You know me as Alexis Fettner. You also can clearly that I'm shiny," she started.

"And everyone can see that I'm a freaking defective…" I muttered.

"Hey don't think of it that way! You're just different. I've never seen a red Gallade before," she said.

"No one has, except for the people who know me," I said. She kind of looked confused at my last two remarks. She must be piecing together some information. I'll save that job for later. First day on the job after all. I think my comments may be giving her an unusual idea. Good. That fits me.

"Well… I've never heard of any other case like yours…" she said.

"There aren't any other cases," I replied. It was true. I was a one of a kind person.

She smiled again and said, "I think we should at least make good friends. I'm going to meet with some friends of mine. Bye."

"Yeah whatever…" I muttered to myself. Bit of a parasite if you asked me. She had the charm of being someone you can talk to and being friendly. I now understood why she was popular, and that is since she is persuasive. I don't give out my views easily, so why bother becoming a persuasive person anyways? It seems that they're adopting me as a kid to hang out with. In that case, I am in serious hell. I don't want to be in the center of attention like anyone else. I guess I should just hurry to class…

….

POV Switch Here

….

I got to class and I knew it was a regular day… Well sort of. Something really odd happened on the bus. Some new kid of some sort sat in my seat… He was silent, and he covered most of his body with a jacket. Didn't make the slightest amount of sense either, as he seemed to ignore me and didn't say a word. He looked sort of concerned. He was a Gallade, so I thought he would become involved quickly, but he seemed to be occupied. In his own mind most of the time.

However in walked in the room a Gallade. The Gallade on the bus. No regular Gallade though, a _RED _one. How on earth is there a red Gallade? Shiny ones are blue with an orange spike, while he is red with a blue spike and a yellow crest on top. Jake and Tyler came in behind the Gallade, all looking at him confused, but then they sat down.

"Students, don't get comfortable at your seats. We have assigned ones," said Mr. S. Everyone groaned at that remark, but the Gallade didn't seem to care. He was a new kid, so he seemed like he didn't care where he sat.

"Alright, so I must take attendance. We're going alphabetically. Kyle Argonish?" he asked.

"Right here," I said. He continued down the line going down. Weird thing is when the Gallade was called.

"Zach Regaldi?" asked Mr. S. He just raised his hand and didn't say anything. "Good. Nihar Shushri?" He continued until attendance was done. He was talking to Nihar, but some of the stuff they talked about went way over my head. I knew Nihar was smart, so I figured that Zach was also quite smart. Turned out to be right when he asked some general questions related on the day. Zach raised his hand for every single one. However, remember him talking about the assigned seats? Guess what. He assigned _him _to sit next to me. Well maybe I ought to know him better, so I could get to know him.

"Hey. Wassup?" I asked.

"Eh, nothing…" he groaned. Downer huh? Maybe I could cheer him up.

"What are you down about?" I asked.

"I told you nothing," he said.

"You're the new kid right? I didn't expect are new kid to look sick," I said.

"I'm not sick," he said.

"I don't mean sick as in you're not feeling well. I mean sick as in you look cool," I explained. He seemed a bit happier at that remark, but only gave a small grin.

"Thanks… I need all the sympathy right now on my first day here," he said.

"You look like the sort of popular group material. I could introduce my friends to you," I offered. That would really turn him into a powerful force.

"No thanks… I don't want to join any group immediately," he said. Bummer! Kid doesn't want to get acquainted? Oh well… I guess that can wait.

"Well… You heard me as Kyle. That over there is Jake, Nihar," I started.

"I know… I know just about everyone in this room except for you, the Fearow, the Raichu, and the Luxray," he interrupted.

"Well I don't know who the Raichu is, but the Fearow is Max Green, and the Luxray is Jon George," I answered. He thanked me on that remark and got back on focus. My eyes started to wander around the room. I saw Jake messing around with a yo-yo. It was becoming popular, but I didn't want those little kid items. Something else would have to fit. Nihar was intent on working on the worksheet and so was Zach, and as for anyone else nothing else was special.

Some thoughts came to mind though; Zach seemed if he was trying to reject something. For a guy I have a very good way of seeing things from a girls' point of view. I would understand their interests, what turns them on, and what things get on their nerves. That's why I had a girlfriend at the age of 11. So I could maybe think that Zach may be trying to reject a girl. I have no idea who it would be, but my guess is a Gardevoir. There were 2 Gardevoirs on this team; Alexis and Rachel. I was friends with them, but didn't really hang around them. Sure I was single, but I want to wait a bit. My last relationship with Tracy was really rough, and I'm kind of shaken up.

"What're you thinking about?" Zach asked. It freaked me out! How did he know I was pondering?

"Oh! Uh… nothing, nothing at all," I said with a nervous tone.

"You're trying to hide something; the tone of your voice is nervous," he said.

"Alright… You got me," I admitted. He grinned, but not widely. It was only a smirk really. "So I was thinking… do you have a crush on anyone?" My tone was small with that remark.

"No… I just got here. I'll settle down then work with matters like that," he answered. Shit… This guy is serious faced. He's like a businessman.

"I see. Anyone eyeballing you?" I asked. I asked that with a humorous town. He chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't have track of that, but I know something is going around behind my back, and I want to know it," he answered. He was saying that he's unsure, but he knows there is a very clear answer.

"Well, I'll do some detective work, and I will try to find anything out," I said. Let's see if what his reaction to that is.

"You don't have to, but if you really want, I'm not stopping you," he answered. Oh crap! He just read me like a book… This guy is really analytical.

"Okay then, I'll look around," I said. As one of the highest powers in the school, I think I would make him my friend. He's very kind and not too stern, but he also knows the limit, and doesn't tell too much. The class continued on regularly from there, but I didn't have much else to do, so I packed up and went out the door. Off to get some food.

….

Back To Zach's POV

….

I looked around for a vacant seat somewhere in the lunch room. There wasn't much room, but I did manage to find a seat. It was at a table with that child Nihar. We had gotten to know each other quite well, and we were essentially friends. He had some other friends, but they were perverted down to the point of nasty. They constantly made very inappropriate and subtle jokes. Even if they were funny, that's all they did, and sometimes they would discriminate on others. I had no idea why Nihar was friends with these guys; they seemed to think I was cool and they respected me, but they showed no respect from others, so in general I _tried _to ignore them. Maybe I would convince him to find a different table.

During the study hall period I decided to get to know that one kid Kyle better. I saw him at a table in the Library. Little to no surprise, they invited me in and treated me as if they were one of their own. He was in a group of six, which added to seven when I joined in. The kids in the group were the following: Kyle the Zoroark, Jake the Lucario, Luke the Staraptor, Max the Blastoise, John the Fearow, Daniel the Honchkrow, and Erik the Exploud. They were all very nice kids, but they all were in the popular group. I mean the general conversations like, "In this shooter game I had a 12 kill streak," or "I made it to level 44 in one run!" Most of all there were tons of rumors I overheard. Here is the most primary example of one of our conversations.

John started off by saying, "So, how has Jennie been Erik?" He said that statement with a bratty tone, to mock a child trying to embarrass another.

"Shut up! For the last time I'm not in love with my sister!" he shouted. We all laughed at that. Even I couldn't help but put on a smile with that remark.

"We all know you secretly want to have sex with her," said Luke. Jeez, taking it too far now.

"Shut up! We know that's the same with you and Alexis!" he countered. Alexis the Gardevoir. Oh good, so I know that she probably will reach out to someone that actually _likes _her.

"Yeah, but she's not his sister," said Kyle. We all laughed that remark too.

"Fuck this! I'm out of here," boomed Erik. Man we made him mad. I decided to make a funny remark, even if it made me look like a jerk.

"Rage-quit!' I yelled. Everyone, even some at the nearest tables laughed. Amazingly, I saw him chuckle at the remark as he walked out the library door.

Jake then proceeded to ask, "So Zach, how do you like it at this school?"

"Beats private school that's for sure. There aren't 200 kids in the entire complex," I answered.

"Made any friends yet?" he asked.

"Well you guys I guess count. Plus some others…" I answered. I told him who I was generally friends with.

"Well that's a start. For someone with your gift you could rule the school under one empire!" said John.

"Yeah, but do I want to rule the school? That sounds like too big of a job for a freshman," I said.

"True… That could work once you're older," replied Kyle.

"I still don't know. I'm not trying to be the king here. I'm trying to be an everyday school kid, but I guess because of my body, that won't happen," I replied.

"Dude, you'll never be a 'school-kid'. You were 'born this way'," joked Jake. We chuckled at that remark. Born This Way was a well-known song. However it wasn't very popular between guys.

"True. I'm just focused on work more than anything else…" I said.

"You'll become a true public school kid in no time. Work is still a priority, but you'll become acquainted with everyone," said Luke. We were interrupted when we heard a wave of giggling from the girls at the table behind us.

"What's so funny?" demanded Kyle.

"Sheesh take it easy Kyle. What did they do to piss you off?" I asked.

"Yeah, what did _we _do?" snobbishly asked a girl. I just realized my mistake and threw my hand into my face.

"Way to go, genius," said Kyle. They giggled again. And we went back to our previous conversation.

"Well, an easy way to start is to become good at battling. Then make sure you have social skills, and then work. You'll be set as long as you don't piss off the teachers," said Jake.

"Are you kidding me? I'm the best in my family," I said. They looked at me intently.

"You mean in your solitary unit?" asked Kyle.

"Yeah, so?" I questioned. They seemed amazed at that.

"At the middle school, almost no one could be Alexis. She was too good," said Luke.

"She was ranked #11 out of all the 1000 students at the middle school in 8th grade," replied Jake.

"Fine then. Who was #1?" I asked.

"Yours' truly," said John.

"John is insane. You probably wouldn't be able to beat him, since you're a fighting type. However, everyone isn't ranked yet, so there may be some new people to dethrone him," Kyle said.

"Hmm… I'll take you on when I get the chance," I challenged. John and I both smirked at that. When I said when I get the chance, I meant 'let's go to the training ground and fight'. We then all raised out of our seats and headed towards the gym.

….

At the time, you could reserve slots in the courts for private fights with friends. As long as you didn't hurt each other too badly, and that the medical guard was standing by, it was okay to battle. We had checked off all the conditions and made sure that it was okay by the higher standards. When the word spread around, several people had showed up to watch. The majority were on the stands of John's side, while the minority were on my side. 350 on John, 150 on me. It was off balance, but when you think about, I am the new kid.

"You get first strike," I said. I smirked at that remark.

"My pleasure!" he roared. He dived in to the sky and used quick attack and peck. So I wasn't the only one who fused moves. Little did he know there was an impeccably easy way to counter that. I quick attacked out of the way then launched a psycho-cut. It took him by surprise and hit him full on. The crowd roared when I had done that. I heard, "Get him!" and "Take him down!" from the audiences. He then started to flap his wings. I tried to get in a night slash, but I had gone into his trap. My hit was successful, but he whipped up a gust and caught me in it. I was stuck and had nowhere to move. He then threw me on the wall. It hurt very badly, but I knew what I had to do. I needed to charge up a move that was very strong, and had effectiveness against him. But with him chasing me around, that was impossible. What I was planning to do was use a combination of all of my moves that weren't ineffective on him. That meant quick attack, night slash, psycho-cut, and thunder-punch. It would be long, but I knew it would work in the long run. He took me by surprise and tried to use drill peck on me. I rolled out of the way, got steady, but he managed to turn and still get the peck in on me. It hurt. I knew I didn't have time to charge all three together. I'm going to have to wing it.

I used quick attack to jump into the air. He was confused but I used quick attack to gain a midair boost. I charged the electricity in my fist and tried ramming it into him. He quick attacked out of the way and gusted me. Damnit! This guy is ridiculous! He's dodging everything I throw at him except…

Launched attacks. I was a Gallade, so he expects me to always use close range moves. It just then struck me. I'll make him move into a psycho-cut beam covered in electric energy. I'll then make him run into that beam to have it do a ton. I used the same method to jump into the air, but I launched my beam ahead of time. I mach-punched him to make him move out of the way. It worked like a charm. He dodged _into _the electric covered beam. He yelled out in pain and I felt rage coming from him. My trick had worked, and incredibly well too. He was badly hurt and even paralyzed. The crowd was going nuts, and I even saw that many people had moved to my bleachers. He was losing patience. However, a trick up his sleeve is that he knew frustration. It sent him into a blind fury that would do a lot if it got consecutive hits. However, it sent him into a blind rage. The perfect opportunity to charge my super cut. He went into his frustrated state and started to charge and flail at me. I kept lunging backwards while charging the cut. He flapped his wing dangerously close as the night slash portion was ready. He missed his beak cut by a centimeter once the psycho-cut was ready. He grazed my helmet with his talons once the charge was ready. Right as he was about to lunge at me I hit him with an array of moves that sent him flying across the field, plummeting him to the ground. The crowd was amazed and roared at what had just happened. A new kid had beaten the champion of their generation in the first day of school. It was never to be heard of. A wave of people ran over and picked me up and carried me around. I was getting thrown into the air with cheers. The medical assistant came and helped John up. I saw John with slight anger, but also an admittance look on his face. He was reluctant to the fact that he was beaten, but he was impressed too. However, I realized this was going to get me way too much attention. The exact opposite that I wanted. However, there was a feeling deep inside me that this is what I needed. Maybe that is what they are talking about.

….

When I got home I had my usual greeting. I decided to take a break before I went outside to practice some sports with my brother. Like you humans, we typically have sports like soccer and football and baseball. Typically though, certain species are better equipped for some sports. Like I am in perfect form for several sports. But for ones like Tunnel Race, I would never be able to do so. I don't think of myself as the model sports star, but I do think of myself as athletic. I've been able to run a 6:49 mile, but compared to what my brother runs, that isn't much. He runs a 6:01 mile. However, even if I'm younger, I'm somehow stronger than he is. I can lift up car a few inches off the ground. Sure I know other Gallades that manage to lift trucks off the ground, but those are people who have worked constantly to become strong. For me… I don't really need to focus on strength. I focus on ability, and getting down skills that benefit me very well. For example, I was the best at doing lay-ups at the private school, and plus I had mastered a spike in volleyball. When the private school did annual physical tests, they said I could already qualify for going into the military if I weren't so young. I shared this in our conversations at the library, and they seemed impressed. Kids like Luke and John had also received that notice so I knew I wasn't alone. It was a regular night, very quiet and at times talkative, but I decided it would be best to tell them what happened at school today. Unlike me and my brother, they were any regular old Gallades and Gardevoirs. Classical green hair and suit, and a red spike in the chest. Something never seemed too right about them though. Even though their legal age ID said 35, they acted as if they had been here twice as long as their age said. Well, not that I'm imposing that they are, but they act older than their actual age. They act as they were 50 years old and still growing. It spurred in conversations between me and my brother, but we decided it was nothing.

"So how was your first day at school Brian?" asked mom. I guess the only contradictory thing going against that notion of ours is that they sound and look very young. Otherwise, they acted very elderly.

"Nothing much. Typical day at track and classes. My friends and I ran 4 laps today," answered Brian. He had some athletic friends, including his girlfriend.

"Sounds nice. You Zach?" asked dad. Like I said, they spoke very young.

"Well it was interesting but nothing much. I made some friends, but I gained a ton of attention because of… well… my color," I said. We all had a laugh about that.

"Most people dream of having that sort of condition. You try to reject it," said Brian.

"True… But I thought at public school battling was going to be a huge challenge. I beat the acclaimed #1 student for my grade," I said.

"That's impressive. I remembered you in the fighting tournament. I still can't believe you beat that Salamence without a scratch…" started dad.

"None of us would… I got lucky though since he didn't aim the Draco Meteor properly," I continued.

"Whatever. You got 2nd place, and let's be honest, that one Beedrill was too fast for anyone to keep up with. I swear he was jumping around all over the place," finished Brian.

"Otherwise nothing much else happened today…" I trailed off. It was a regular dinner from there. Our mom seemed to know every food recipe possible. It was a traditional Oran-Sitrus berry filet combined with certain meats combined. I decided that I would read myself a story. I managed to sneak into our parents' bedroom without them noticing and look through my dad's books. He worked as a person who studies mythology and archaeology. I can't remember the name, but I knew that's his job. Our mom is a professional cook and works at a 4-star restaurant called the Psychic Synth. It made many manufactured items usually produced from the mind. I don't know how they do it, but it is kept secret. I found a large leather book. That had an impossible to remove tape on the side of it. It was covering two portions. It probably is secret, but hey. I have a wide curiosity and like to find out as much as possible. I assumed it had to do with his job. I slid the book out and saw that the title of the book and the author name had also been taped with sealed tape. I heard some people walking up so I did something that I learned secret. What no one knows about me is that I have an extensive range to mythical beings that my dad studies. Brian and mom do too. At his works, dad owns a private facility that can communicate with mythical, one of a kind beings. Humans would know them as "Legendary Pokemon". We call them unique. Thing is, they've never talked to one of them in person. I had figured out and when my parents went on a vacation, I told Brian that I was going to a party that went through overnight and plus lasted all the way to 12 o' clock the next day, I was really heading underground. In the closest volcano, I found a route that traveled downward beneath it. I was looking for stones called fire stones. There were mining jobs always open to people willing to earn some money, as long as they were old enough. Since I evolved into a Gallade in 7th grade, I lied about my age and they offered me to go to Slugma Volcano. I would earn 200 ⱷ (Entals) per fire stone that I found and brought back. I was given a map of the route I should navigate and mine through various spots. To hint on what happens, after that experience, Slugma Volcano is no longer used as an area to find fire stones. I hit a patch with a pick and it caused a chain that cause the floor beneath me to collapse. When I came to be I saw a small white creature with ears forming a V, and the ears were orange on the black. It sounded like it was friendly, but the voice didn't hint on a gender. He put a seal on my back that looked like a large V. It then teleported me back to the surface, however, he also knew that if I ever told someone about it, then they would look for it. I looked up some research and found out the species is mythical, or unique, and it is called Victini. It is said to be mentally capable of anything and can set cities ablaze in seconds using the V shaped ears on its head. It had capabilities not allowed to any other pokemon that wasn't approved by him. Any of those approved could learn any move that was proven possible. I knew what it meant by any pokemon approved. It meant anyone with the seal that was put on my back. I could hide it with a paper strip that matched my back color which was red. So what I decided to do was look up mythical moves that wouldn't be able to be taught. I feel comfortable sharing this with you since I know you have the trust of ones close to me. The mythical move was called mental storage. It allowed you to make anything disappear into your mind and make it reappear later somewhere else. I also learned a move that allowed me to make fake items and decoy, but it wasn't transform like Dittos do. So I decoyed the book and put the book into my mental storage. From there I went to my room so I made the book reappear. I tried to remove the tape but I forgot it was sealed, so there was no use trying to get it off. Instead I opened up the book only to find names and important labels smudged out. I'll read exactly what I saw in the book:

"The following tale tells the story of 5 heroes' perilous journeys through time to vanquish evil. Of them were merely regular children. 1 being rambunctious without a care in the world. 1 a vengeful child of his father who was killed in an uprising. 1 who doubted himself so much that he was picked on every day. 1 who always thought of everyone else first and would never smile. When a star gives them the gift of -, the kids meet a new friend who was the first to start a species. The child made everyone stronger, faster, better, and taught them valuable virtues. However, in the shadows a - was trying to manipulate -'s destiny in order to cast a shadow over the world. The - met a -, and although - rejected her, - reached out and fell in love. When evil took her away, - realized what he had been missing, and went into deep sorrow. In vengeance the 5 set on their way and took down a beast strong enough to set the world a blaze, and found a traitor was secretly working for the -. The - sacrificed his life to stop the monster, only to be reawakened as an unstoppable warrior bent on eliminating everything bright. He was called the - -, and not until the 4 united and purified him did he come back. Unfortunately, immediately after the purification, another monster was awakened by an evil traitor, and said monster was -. He could call forth storms strong enough to wipe out life on its own. They beat him, but was not content, as they still needed to find -. Working harder, they went on the search for the - -, a sacred place containing - -, where they believed they would find -. When they arrived, they found none other than the -'s leader bringing forth a monster with such powers that it would freeze the world in seconds. With motivation, the warriors took down the traitor, and the monster, but paid a price of being frozen in time. 100 years later they were awoken in a world that seemed medieval in ways more than one. Incredibly, the five were frozen without - and -, and when they found -, they learned that - had died in a war. However, - and - were reunited and continued as a couple. However, evil still remained, and the rulers of the medieval time were dictators. Their past friend - was the lead force against the evil rulers, and had ideas of a - machine. However, during a raid, he was killed but passed on the blueprints to the final 2 heroes and -, who were going to go 600 years into the future, where the estimated technology will be good enough to make the - machine. They did so and when they made the - machine, they brought back their 3 friends lost in time on the final mission of truly vanquishing evil. However, to much distraught, they found that the only way to vanquish evil was to go 200 years farther in the future. They did so, and in the end set the end to an -, which could -, and -…" and from there all words were smudged out. There were even a few pages torn. I decided that in the morning I would return this to its rightful place and made sure it wouldn't reoccur in my mind at the wrong time.

….

Sorry if that you all a headache. It will make sense in a year or two if I ever manage to get to the 6th part in the series.

….

Since mom and dad have to leave for work before I have to go to school, I of course took that time period between me having to go to the bus and my parents leaving to put back the book. It was easy, and I put the decoy into my mental storage. I wonder what I could use this for. However I am NOT a cheater. I won't put notes or a completed study guide in my mental storage and then use it on a test or something else like that. I'm a fair student, and I will act the fair way. I decided not to wear my jacket today, since the entire school already knows about my special coloring.

At the bus stop weren't many kids, but everyone aside from Brian talked to me as if they had known me their entire life. I didn't even know one of the kids, yet he talks to me non-stop. I tried to shake them off, and I sat with Kyle on the bus.

"Hey. Looks like Mr. Special can't stop getting attention," joked Kyle.

"No shit. They follow me as if I was the alpha of a wolf pack. I hope everyone else at school won't be like this," I replied.

"Oh… I remember when I did some 'detective' work yesterday, that at least one girl has a crush on you. No idea who it is, but just putting that out there," said Kyle.

"Hah! Of course that 'one girl' falls in love with One-Of-Kind-Man. Whoever she is I bet she's way in over her head," said the kid behind me. His name was Matt Ignos. He has a bit of an attitude, but he generally seems friendly and open to everyone.

Aside from Matt, knowing that a girl _already _had a crush on me didn't make me feel comfortable. I stated yesterday that I'm not ready for all that yet. I want to focus on work then deal with the everyday dramas of school. I'm a new kid, and that's how I'm going to set my path.

"Well, I'm going to leave that in the back of my mind. You said you don't know who it is, and because of that I'm not going to give any interest into that subject of manner," I stated.

"Wait what…?" questioned Matt.

"He just… Well I'll explain it to you later," said Kyle. "In other words of my work yesterday, I found quite a few rumors about you. However, they weren't those kinds of rumors that smothers dirt all over your name. It's like those joke rumors. (For you humans, it is like Chuck Norris Jokes)" From there on there were conversations basically on sports. I told them that I was going to try out for the Bi-Ped soccer team. That meant soccer for any pokemon that stand on two feet and have arms. There is Quad-Ped that have pokemon with 4 feet to walk on, and extra appendages may not be used. When I got to school I was greeted about 30 times before I even got to my locker. I guess Kyle was right. Due to my coloring I will never be able to shake off the crowd. I remember Jake from yesterday had a locker next to me.

"Hey… It's the kid who beat John yesterday, with a type disadvantage," said Jake.

"Hah. It was the most challenging fight I've ever been in. He is one hell of a fighter," I replied.

"Well some kids have been proven to be even better fighters than he is. Plus they do hold a fighting tournament in the spring. The best person for their grade gets a plaque. I remember at the middle school how it was only a certificate. John got the grade 8 certificate as you would know," said Jake.

"I've been able to equalize with my brother in fighting at times. Also, can you let in on a secret?" I asked.

"Sure," he said.

"If I used _every _move I would use, even the police guards wouldn't match me. There are some things better kept secret," I said. He nodded and understood that I had some secret powers. From there on he didn't really look at me the same. I mean sure, whenever we joined in the library it would be a regular conversation, but if we ever passed by each other, he would just look at me with a face that said, 'This kid has something to hide, but I don't know it.' I knew whoever knew this secret would almost always give me that look until they learned about Victini's seal. I wondered if there were more Victinis somewhere, and if they had given others the V seal that I had. All of a sudden though, I started feeling my back flare up. I felt a fiery charge run through my back. I knew that I had done something that made the Victini irritated. It was perhaps because I hinted on the V seal. However, I knew if that the Victini put a seal on me, wouldn't he put a seal on others? It only seemed to make sense to me. I couldn't be alone in this world right?

The day continued quite regularly until we got to battle class. It turns out me beating John had even gained attention of the higher powers. I was going to be taken out of my solitary unit for some time and actually teach techniques to the students. However I was hinted that there was also someone else that was going to be helping me. The person was supposed to be sure that I was teaching the unit the right techniques, the right moves, and made sure they could be evenly matched with each other, of course though the best student will win over everyone. It seemed like no big deal until,

"Wait… You're the special mentor?" asked the recognizable female voice.

….

Haha! A cliffhanger. Most of you probably know who that is at the end. But if you don't, you'll find out when the next chapter comes around. I don't usually do cliffhangers is the thing, and I'm going to do that for a lot of important chapters throughout the story.

Also, here are some important notes on my schedule:

First off, I have gotten chapter 4 of Demoknight. I plan to turn that into chapter 5 by the time I go to vacation on the 16th of July.

With this story on its own, I may get this to chapter 2, but I'm not completely sure. Remember, I imposed a 10,000 word limit on this story, and that's for every chapter. This single chapter took more than a week, I can assure you that. The real reason I did this story anyways is because this idea occurred to me, and it started to grow on me. I had an extensive plotline, and plus the drama relates a very slight amount to my life, so I think it would be fun. Anyways, that's all for this story.

Lastly, with No Regular Trainer, I want to get it to chapter 2 or 3 by the time I go for vacation. The chapters are to be a little bit larger than Demoknight's chapters, at roughly 3500 words minimum. (Demoknight has a 3000 word minimum)

That's all for this little chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, but you must be patient. 10000 words more than enough words for a single chapter, but I purposely imposed that to challenge myself.


	2. Chapter 2, Surprises And Tension

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokémon Fanfiction. Chapter 2, Surprises and Tension.

Author's Note: HEY GAIZ. IF YOU DIDN'T READ MY HOMEPAGE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE REALIZED THAT I'M POSTING A NEW CHAPTER FOR EACH OF MY FICS ALL AT THE SAME TIME. IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, THEN I HAVE TO REMIND YOU TO LOOK AT MY HOMEPAGE FOR UPDATES!

Had to get that out of my system.

Of course these chapters take forever to pump out, what did you expect? This is going to be it for a long time since I go on vacation soon. Typically I enjoy this and want to do it as much as I can, but I don't have a lap-top so I'm out of luck. Also, usually people get the notion that when you see "Romance" and "Rated M" together, that means there are lemons. Quick note, no lemons in this story. In fact, the lemon (singular) won't be until the fourth section in this entire series. So I have years before I get to that. Another important note, I did go on vacation, so how about cut me some slack for none of my stories getting updated.

All else to cover is that the story will constantly leave cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. I've seen it in books, cartoons, movies, and just about everything else. I decide to take a shot at it and do so. So enjoy staying on the edge of your seat CONSTANTLY.

**Disclaimer: (The year is 2111) *Whips out scroll* It says an ancient script written by a writer from 100 years ago. This is as it follows: I, Deathlark, own no rights whatsoever to the Pokémon franchise. I would be doing something completely different if I did. Huh. Well that must have been important to some, huh?**

….

_A lot of people like to give surprise to the people that are important to them. Sometimes they work well and are a pleasant surprise. Sometimes… well… I'm sure you can figure that part out on your own._

….

The day continued quite regularly until we got to battle class. It turns out me beating John had even gained attention of the higher powers. I was going to be taken out of my solitary unit for some time and actually teach techniques to the students. However I was hinted that there was also someone else that was going to be helping me. The person was supposed to be sure that I was teaching the unit the right techniques, the right moves, and made sure they could be evenly matched with each other, of course though the best student will win over everyone. It seemed like no big deal until,

"Wait… You're the special mentor?" asked the recognizable female voice. Oh shit…

"Yes… Apparently me beating John Smith gained a lot of attention," I said. It was Alexis. Not very pleasant, considering I didn't want to be around her. The lesson was pretty tedious. I knew how to discipline people though. Be strict when they do the wrong things, and be rewarding when they do the right things. It encourages them to try hard to do what is correct.

"Alright. This is the Psychic and Fighting-Bi-Ped group. Roll call," I said. I took out a sheet of paper and went down the line. Everyone was present, so that was a good start. I had to teach them specific psychic and fighting-type moves. The group contained Alakazams, Machamps, Hypnos, Xatus, Wobbufetts, Gallades, and Gothitelles. Of course, Alexis was supposed to be there to make sure I got everything. But really, by the end of the class she wasn't necessary.

I did my strategy, so whenever they performed a move wrong, I would strictly discipline them. Here's an example of when a Wobbuffet messed up a reflect.

"No, no, no, no! You're doing it wrong. How many times do I have to tell you this? Now, put your arms around your and channel the energy. You must channel the energy into your arms. Not somewhere else, your arms. Okay?" I asked with a stern, irritated voice meant to intimidate him.

"Yes. Okay. Whatever you say," the Wobbuffet said nervously. It worked. I launched another night-slash at him and that time he pulled it off. He reflected it and I dodged it.

"There you go. That's how you do a reflect. I can count on you whenever a flying mug comes at my head," I applauded. The students laughed at that, and I could all tell they got the joke. The Wobbuffet smiled after that and did work harder to pull off whatever I told him to do. I even saw the other students do what he had done.

At the end of the section the manager of the section came to talk to me. He was a Sceptile.

"Ah yes. If it isn't Mr. Regaldi. I talked to Alexis, and she said you had an impeccable lesson. That made me wonder if I should assign you to a new term. You will be payed handsomely if you accept," he offered. Oh god no… Anything to get away from Alexis.

"No. I think I'll be fine taking Mr. Corton's lessons. By the way, do you have any sort of advanced units?" I asked.

"Indeed we do, but you have to pass an extensive course in order to apply for it, plus you need a physical to assure that you are in good enough condition for the higher class," he answered. That was reassuring. Anything to get away from Alexis.

"I'll make sure to apply. I'm sure I can get in," I said. I was confident… After all, I was apparently one of the higher powers in school.

It was then time to head to the Science/History class. It was fun since the kids Jake and Kyle were there, and they are considered allies. Plus, Kyle never ceases to find a way to mess with me. He always seems to find a way that gets on my nerves, but also makes me laugh at the same time. Like once, he took two of my pens in the pencil case and switched the inks around after disassembling them. When the teacher said that we needed to use Red Pen, I was using green. I was confused, but then I heard Kyle laugh.

I asked, "Do you have something to do with this?"

"Indeed I did. While you had to go hand in the homework I flipped the inks around," he said. He had a pretty humble and snobby look on his face. However, it wasn't annoying. The kids in front of me gave a subtle laugh. I guess I had a bit of a smile on my face. He must have done so before, since he did incredibly quickly. The rest of the period continued on regularly. Things were a bit unusual between me and Alexis. I think she considered me a friend. Me… I don't know what to consider of her. I've been able to get a good stasis on everyone in my classes except her. There's something I can't quite understand. I guess I'll let time tell. We did talk to each other, but she came up to me. I can't remember a single situation in where I came up to her. I do remember that she has a more open personality, and that she is quite persuasive. I do need to keep that in my mind.

But you'd think it would be impulsive for us to get together. She is a shiny, and I have some unusual discoloration. Truth is, I'm pretty sure she just treats me as a regular friend, but I just kind of shrug her off. Sure whenever we get into a conversation I would say something back. It was polite. However, I really didn't want to set up a relationship. Remember what I said, "I'll settle down then I'll take care of social issues." I really meant that, and that's what I'm going to go off of for the entire year. I'll focus on grades, homework, tests, quizzes, finals, and everything else across the spectrum. Then I'll start to work on other, more at home, and deep down issues or desires that we everyday kids come across. I wanted to act mysterious. Not release much so people would keep guessing on who I really am, and so that they can never get a true basis on who I am. I thought of it as clever. I had many tricks up my sleeve, and generally, whenever it was easy to accomplish, AND I had the know-how to do it, it would go smoothly. Almost never out of plan.

That said, Lunch didn't quite go out as planned. I was going to go sit at Nihar's table again, but Kyle constantly bugged me and pushed me to sit at his table. I told him to let me speak to Nihar first, but he wouldn't budge at all. He practically dragged me over to the table. However, when I got to the table, I lightened up. It was the gang from yesterday along with a couple of others. You know, Luke, Daniel, Max, John, Erik, however there were others at the table. There was a Hariyama that I got to know later whose name was Chris, a Rhypherior whose name was Anthony, and a Sandshrew named Mark. They were a friendly bunch, however, they were like the others. Typical conversations like the ones yesterday, except maybe a bit on the perverted side. They would talk real shit to each other too, and often rag on others. I started to see something recur. At Nihar's table, it was a very similar case. I'm starting to realize that lunch is the downtime for most students, and the time when they can get away with the most things.

One time a Garbodor walked by and I saw a most frightening display. They called him offensive names and threw some of their food at him. It unsettled me. They wanted to seem cool by putting someone down. It only works to their friends. I saw all of them high-fiving each other. I didn't. They asked why and I just didn't answer. It unsettled me. I told them I had to go to the bathroom, but really, I was just going to leave the table. I preferred Nihar's table; not all of them work complete jerks.

It was time for the most relaxing period of the day, or as others say. It wasn't relaxing due to my fight with one of the strongest kids around, who was named John. He was the #1 battler at his middle school, and I managed to tarnish that reputation. It gained me almost instant fame, but it also did a number on my body. He earned that #1 spot. Very strong, skilled, and like me, he fused his moves together. I haven't seen any other cases like that. I have bruises and cuts around my body, due to that fight. I didn't have plans fighting anyone that day, but I guess they came to me more than I ever would. I'll get to that later though.

15 minutes into the period and some kids start to crowd around the table. The majority of them were guys but a few girls were in there. They all seemed to be involved with the group, and in general it was pretty chaotic. Everyone was highlighting me for some reason. It was over the victory of course, and that some of them had heard what happened in battle class. I was starting to become a celebrity, and I didn't even want to. It just happened on its own I guess. It was all regular talk until the infamous figure showed up.

"Hey. What are you all talking about?" Alexis asked. My expressions started to turn serious.

"It's nothing. We're all talking about Zach and how he crushed John yesterday," said Daniel. John looked irritated at that.

"I didn't crush him. It was incredibly close," I backed up. Everyone looked at me and realizes what had really happened. From any outside point of view it seemed that I had crushed him massively. Really, it was a brutally close fight. Other people started talking behind our backs. I saw Kyle whisper something in John's ear. He nodded his no, and whispered something back. My face turned even more serious.

"Hey, do you think you could try and fight me?" asked a voice from the audience. Soon enough other people also wanted a fight.

"Hey! I don't want a riot to start!" yelled the Librarian. It quieted down.

"I don't really want to fight again. I got roughed up enough from fighting John," I said.

"You mean you don't want to fight me?" asked a menacing voice. Out from the crowd emerged a Scizor. A quite fearsome one too. He asked the question intimidatingly. I could tell he was urging me to get angry for a fight.

"I'd have better chances jumping off a cliff and surviving," I told him.

"Come on? You don't want to fight, coward?" he urged. Same sort of intimidating tone.

"Quit pushing it buddy. I'm not in good condition. I'll take you on tomorrow," I told him.

"Let's make it now!" he shouted. The crowd started to roar. Soon enough they were all asking for the fight. God damn… Why does the crowd always screw things up?

"Fine! Just be quiet alright? I don't want the Librarian to condemn us all," I said. The Scizor looked satisfied and walked down to the gym.

"Dude, you're gonna get crushed. I don't know who he is, but he certainly looks good," warned Jake.

"I'll do my best as always. I just can't guarantee anything," I told him. I got up and walked off. I was in for a beating.

….

I walked down to the gym and saw that the audience had exploded compared to yesterday's fight. The bleachers were almost filled half and half. I saw several people on my side, and several on the Scizor's.

"Hey! I don't know your name yet! How about telling me it so I can know you better?" I asked.

"Tucker. Tucker Colburn," he said with a stern voice. He looked menacing enough, but he also seemed to be a bit over in his head. My battle yesterday had only left a mark on my right leg. It hurt a little bit to walk on it, but otherwise there wasn't an issue. This time, there was an official to watch. There was apparently a lot of tension in this fight. The officials seemed scared, and some in the audience seemed especially worried. I could tell the Tucker might not be the fairest of fighters.

It clearly started off when Tucker flew into the air and used X-Scissor. I jumped out of the way only to see him use Bullet Seed backwards. I used Psycho-Cut to block out the bullets, but they just kept coming. I was pelted constantly, until Tucker decided to stop. He did a large jump and was going to use Steel Wing. I rolled out of the way and tried to use Night-Slash on him. He used Quick-Attack to move out of the way and then used String-Shot. It covered my body and I was entangled. I couldn't move all that well. Utilizing the string shot, he ran in and X-Scissored me. It cut the web, but it cut me up more. I started to see some gashes form through my shirt. I decided to try using mach-punch for a boost, and then try using Thunder punch. But I needed a fire move if I was going to do much. I had some thought, and I remembered how to use Fire Punch. Instead, I faked the Thunder Punch which made him jump out of the way. I then turned and use Fire Punch and it hit him directly. It was a powerful hit, but he seemed to be hardly moved by it. The crowd was on the edge of their seat. I then decided to see if I could do a mega-punch. It was essentially mach-punch, thunder punch, and fire punch all combined. It would do a lot, but charging at him full-throttle wasn't going to work. I needed to find a way to get him to dodge out of the way, but I needed time to charge the punch. I just then remembered that I was teaching reflect. There was a manual, and thanks to Victini's seal, I could use it. A pokemon can learn infinite moves if they want. So I figured it out.

I needed to make him use string shot again, but then I would reflect it backwards. It would entangle him and he would have trouble moving. I would then rush at him with the super-punch. From there I'm going to have to get crafty. So I knew how to make him use string-shot again. He used it because I was going too quickly, so I had to go quickly again for him to use it again. I then started using mach-punch to run around all over the place. He got irritated, and he then used string-shot just like I had planned. I then turned my mach-punch into a different energy that created a screen. I shot the screen out and the string-shot went with it. The string-shot was repelled back at Tucker and it hit perfectly. He seemed awestruck, and furious. I charged all three of the energies and ran towards him. Just as he was getting out of the web, I hit him with the might of three different punches. He went flying and slammed on the floor.

But against all odds, he stood back up. In amazement, it looked like the punch had only done a small amount. But I saw the furiousness in his eyes, and I could tell it merely only looked like it had done a little. It had hurt him very badly, and he was irritated. He was panting, and so was I. What he did next told me that he clearly hated me. He used string shot, however, when I tried to reflect it, it stayed caught in two strings. It pierced the shield and it hit my eyes. I was blinded, and I couldn't see. The crowd roared with anger, and were yelling out things that were clearly offensive to Tucker. The next thing I knew I heard the whistle blow.

"You are not allowed to pull such moves on the battlefield! This is a warning! One more clear personal assaulting action and you will be removed and punished!" yelled the over watcher. The crowd started yelling with several different mixed emotions. There was a serious roar. The over watcher had brought a towel over to me and it cleared out the web in my eyes. I could see, but my vision was blurred due to the harsh move. I took a fighting stance and launched a Psycho-Cut at him. I used it as a distraction so I could get close for a Fire Punch. He dodged the cut only to see me. However, he grabbed me, swung me around, threw me, and used bullet seed. It hit me directly, and it really wore me out. I started hearing shouts from the crowd of anger. The over watcher nodded no, and motioned us to let the fight continue. I this time used mach-punch to jump into the air. He took off with me. I then launched a decoy night-slash that was towards him. I mach-punched out of the way while he focused avoiding the night-slash. He was clearly confused once he moved out of the way, as I wasn't in his line of sight. I then hit him with a Fire Punch from behind. The look in his eyes told me that he was losing patience. There was some serious tension between me and him. This fight wasn't just to show dominance. It was personal now. Why else would he have shot string into my eyes?

I tried to use more combos but they all seemed to bite me in the ass. He always had a way to counter it, whether he flew around, used X-Scissor, used Bullet-Seed, or used String-Shot. It was an even fight from there until a certain point. While he was using a bullet-seed, I disappeared from view and charged another super-punch. It hit him directly and he was harshly hurt. All of a sudden, I saw the most furious and angry eyes I have ever seen in my life. He was mad. VERY mad. Although what happened next made me want to play unfair too. He charged at me with X-Scissor. I dodged out of the way, but he grabbed the spike on my chest. That pushed me over the edge, but he knew more than I thought. A Gallade or Gardevoir's spike is very important. It can keep any emotions stable and under control when they need to. I also is vital to their lives, as it contains an important organ that keeps us going. If it gets damaged, or even scratched, it can leave a Gallade or Gardevoir terribly wounded. Let alone, he was grabbing it in an un-careful manner. I started yelling out as hard as I could. I felt all my emotions becoming unstable and my heart-beat-rate sky-rocketed. I had lost all control over myself. I couldn't see, hear, or feel anything. I had no senses working whatsoever. I then felt a massive, painful, excruciating punch blow into my body. It was a sucker punch. I was weak to its type, and it flew me across the room. Next thing I knew, every Gallade and Gardevoir rushed down to the referee. Only they knew that what Tucker had done was a clear assault. After knowing that, the referee ordered a period of silence.

"Although it may have seen tactical, the spike of a Gallade is vital to the mental, and physical survival of a Gallade. It caused an un-stability in Zach's system. Therefore, Tucker has made a clear assault, which renders him disqualified!" pronounced the referee. The crowd roared in excitement, and I could tell everyone was happy. But then, a booming voice sounded over.

"So what? Sure I played unfair, but that's what we do in war. We play unfair. Me and Zach, we had a war. Whoever wins clearly gets the last laugh," he stated. Everyone went quiet. "As you can see, he lost the war, so I win!" That made me more furious than anything. Sure the statement was true. Even in our war, or the war going on outside of our reach, would be won under any circumstances, whether it was fair, or just as sneaky as what Tucker had done.

"You're… Not gonna… win Tucker," I moaned as I tried to stand up.

"You can't possibly stand up. You've been hurt bad enough," he gloated.

"Oh yeah…? Well… think… twice!" I yelled. I jumped back up on my feet. I was in no condition for fighting. Everyone was awestruck.

"Wait! Tucker is disqualified! You already-," said the referee.

"Already win? I'm not gonna call this fight off until we show who is the _real _winner. I'm going to take him down once and for all!" I said. The crowd roared in excitement. I took a fighting stance and so did Tucker. I knew what to do. I had to rush at him with another super-punch. If he uses a ranged means of attack, I reflect it, even still with the attack out. If he melees while I'm still charging, I'll jump out of the way. I then started charging. He tried to use Bullet-Seed. I reflected it back at him. He dodged out of the way. He then charged at me with a sucker punch. I rolled on the ground and went right under him. He tried to rush me with an X-Scissor. I jumped out of the way. I then charged at him with all my might. He was so awestruck he didn't move. I hit him full-on with the blast of punches. He was flown across the room, and he had clearly been beaten. The crowd rushed down and picked me up. I didn't want to, but I was crowd surfing. But all of a sudden… When I was put down, I started feeling… Weary… Soon enough my legs wouldn't support me. The next thing I knew, I was knocked out on the ground, and I had completely lost all consciousness. I could only see blackness.

….

"So how do you think he's been doing?" asked a shadowy voice.

"He's a great fighter. We could definitely use him in the war," said a younger, shadowy voice.

"Your work as a decoy has been good. We will definitely need it in the future," said the first shadowy voice.

"Thanks. But I wish I wasn't betraying him. He's really cool," said the second shadowy voice.

"Don't worry. Remember, you're a senior. Not a freshman," said the first shadowy voice.

….

When I came to be I had very fuzzy vision. It was getting better, but slowly. For the moment I was quite tired, plus my head was throbbing. My spike was sore, and I saw little sensor's attached. That made me stressed. I was worried about my spike. It wasn't scratched or hurt, so I was grateful that Tucker hadn't done worse. I saw a blue and black figure in the corner. I recognized him as Jake. We were friends, so I assumed he had brought me here. Either that or the over watcher brought me here, and he was there to monitor me. For the moment I plopped my head back on the pillow. I assumed the nurse Chansey had heard.

"Ah you are awake!" she said. The high-pitched voice worsened the headache.

"Errrrrg! Please… Try to talk as little as possible…" I groaned. I had some immense grumpiness running through me. It was because of my spike. Remember when I said it was _extremely_ sensitive? I wasn't joking. Him gripping my spike had smudged it quite a bit. It disheveled me a ton. I was still on edge. I was glad it wasn't hurt more. As much as a little scratch and dent, would completely render a Gallade/Gardevoir useless. A full through fracture would kill one. That's why there were very few of them out at war. As strong as they were, a smart sniper, soldier, or gunner could easily see their weakspot and exploit it. They had an extremely fallible weakness that made them very fragile. When I could I quickly glanced at Jake. He was reading a magazine. Or pamphlet, I'm not sure. The room started to spin. The next thing I knew I heard a beeping sound. It was an electric graph of some sort. It monitored consciousness and heart rate. I saw a doctor come in. I quickly realized just exactly where I was. It wasn't a school recovery center. This was the hospital. Turns out, he didn't just hurt me. He incapacitated me.

"Son, the more you open your eyes, the better you're going to be," the doctor said. He was a Gallade like me. His skin was a bright and vibrant blue, with an orange-yellow spike placed in the middle. I slowly opened my eyes to reveal his identity. I sighed. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel like complete crap," I said.

"That's what we expected. In that case you'll be spending quite some time here," he stated.

"How long?" I asked.

"Two days. Let us know if you have any emotional troubles too. You're currently highly drugged and a haywire emotional reaction could send you into a spiraling coma," he said.

"What?" I asked panicked. The machine beeping sped up.

"Calm down! You don't, want anything bad to happen right? Then just calm down," he warned me.

"Who… are you?" I asked.

"I am an acclaimed doctor. I have been working here for years. But if you want to know my name its Jack Fettner," he said. Fettner… That could mean one thing. This was Alexis's dad. It unnerved me slightly, but I knew his tone meant that he could be trusted.

"Well… What am I in for?" I asked.

"You're in since of that renegade Tucker beating you senseless. Even if you had won the fight, he had beaten you about 10 times worse since he grabbed your spike. They're currently trying to talk sense into him, but I doubt that will work. If he was cruel enough to grab your spike, he would definitely go lower. It's a good thing you handed it to him," he said.

"What's Jake doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, your friend the Lucario? He was the one that rushed you down here. His mom works here," he answered. That made me relaxed. I can assure that Jake is a sure friend. But a thought popped into my mind. It was unsettling, but due to Tucker's cruelness, it could be a possibility.

"Is there a chance he could have been a dark minion?" I asked. Jack's eyes widened open.

He sighed, took off his glasses, "There's a high chance. But we can't be sure. Besides, what would a young dark minion want to do with you?" Those words brought back dark memories, but ones that I don't want to share.

I should probably explain a war that is going on. An extremely violent and offensive one. There's two different sides to it. The Avengers side, and the Dark Legion. The avengers were mostly everyday pokemon like me. But a small percentage of each species works for the Dark Legion. However, with the dark types, the majority of them work for the Dark Legion. We used to be a united country, known as the U.B., or the United Brotherhood. Every non mythical species had a figurehead, and he/she was the main person to look to for their species. All of them combined made the U.B. executive office. The rest of the system is like your government. Judicial and all that branches. Except there isn't a president. There are some figureheads more dominant than others, but if there had to be a ruling figurehead, it was the Aron family figurehead. His name was Josh Tyler. He was a big and mighty Aggron who had much influence and great speech. He's really talked people into supporting the war.

As for the Dark Legion side, they have a more dictated government. Their ruler is an Absol without a name. No one really knows the name except for a select few figureheads in our government. In Tucker's war statement, he mentioned playing fair. Well if anything, the Dark Legion does not like to play fair. They send over hundreds spies into the border. They are everywhere within our land. We try to do the same, but it doesn't work as they have incredibly strong security mechanisms. They launch unusual explosives at us from afar and anyone trying to attack close up gets slaughtered immediately for reasons unknown. The location of their headquarters is also unknown. If I had to pick the winning side right now, it would be the Dark Legion. But not by much, we have led more attacks, but have had far more civilian casualties. I wanted to stay out of the war, especially as it would be hard to convince the army paroles to accept me. However, unlike humans, the only things we use like you are explosives. We don't have guns, are javelins, or any highly explosive things. Plus only the Dark Legion uses explosives. Otherwise we fight with our natural moves. However, easily put, they have much more and highly trained soldiers out on the field than we do. So now that it made sense, Tucker can easily be a young spy for the Dark Minions. I was unsure, but that was always an option. Otherwise he would just be a plain jerk. The doctor told me to get some sleep, but it was hard for me to do so. But eventually I drifted off into an enigma I had invented for myself.

The next day didn't go all as well. Mainly because of an announcement.

"Excuse me, Nurse?" I asked. It was of course Jake's mom, so I felt like I could trust her.

"Hm? Oh yes, what do you need?" she asked back.

"Just today's newspaper. The Journals' Writings please," I told her. She nodded and after five minutes brought one in. I always like to read through the headlines. If a story interests me I'll read it full way through. But when I turned the pages a few times. My blood pressure rushed high. The doctor came in since he heard the machine go nuts with beeping. Right there, on page D4, the largest story on the page, said in big bold letters, "The Dark Legion Uses Young Spies?" I saw the picture of Tucker on the front. So he had been a Dark Legion member. I was unnerved. Like Jack said yesterday, what would a young dark legion member want to do with me? How was I important to them? I decided to read through and I was even more surprised. It stated my name and I was a major part in the headline. This story made me sick to my stomach. I threw the newspaper out into the trash. Yet another unpleasant surprise. I was feeling like my life is riding on a chain of surprises. Jack came into see me.

"How is everything going?" he asked.

I shrugged and answered, "Today's headlines put me borderline disheveled. Otherwise I'm just really nervous."

"Why is that?" he asked. I showed him.

"Ahhh…" he said. "I always wanted to go to war," he said in a sad voice.

"What?" I asked.

"Even my wife protested that I shouldn't go out there. When I tried out they rejected me. I wasn't all that strong. Even my daughter who was 7 years old said I was crazy. It broke my heart…" he said. I felt sad for him. I'm not sure if I want to go into war. Like he said, they might reject me since Gallades are fragile warriors. I knew I was a really good fighter, plus Victini's seal added to that. That second Jake walked in.

"My mom wanted to make sure everything was alright in here, so how about giving her an answer?" he asked.

"I'm fine. A bit unnerved, but fine," I told him.

"Yes, same here," Jack told him. He left and there was a silence. Jack broke it by saying, "You remind me of myself when I was at your age."

"Huh?" I asked.

"I was the best fighter at my school. I was unbeatable. I had won the official battle tournaments in our sector every time for my grade. Except then I was diagnosed Tartia," he told me. Tartia was an extremely dangerous disease that can kill anyone. Even if they don't get killed, they can weaken a pokemon down to its strength if they were elderly. It was uncommon, but it was lethal. About 80% of people diagnosed die. Another 19% will never recover until they die. A few 1% will go back to normal. Jack was one of the 19%. "I didn't die, but came so close to, I had lost all my strength and will to go on. I already had a different girlfriend, and she dumped because of it." I started to feel really weird inside. I haven't felt this much pity and distraught in a long time. It was worse wince he said it reminded him of me at this age. "However, my wife, Megan, showed me compassion… Despite the weakness that cursed me, I was still able to go forth. I was saved from an eternal spiral into darkness. I was even considering becoming a dark legionnaire. So I can now move on, and despite everything, during college I had gotten a major in medical. So I became a doctor, to see if I can help treat those that are caught up with the same problem I have." I had a completely straight face by the end of the story. My eyes were wide open. Jake came in then.

"I have a bit of surprise. It's supposed to comfort you," he said. I just then got really mad.

"NO MORE SURPRISES!" I yelled. "I've had enough painful surprises for 2 days. I think I've had enough!"

"Woah clam down! It's someone you know very well," he said. Just then my brother walked in. Thank Arceus it wasn't Tucker or someone worse.

"You don't mind if you leave do you?" he asked. They nodded and left the room. "Well then, wassup sup?" It was our traditional greeting. "You're a real crazy son of a bitch. You took on two of the strongest kids for your grade simultaneously on different days. How did you do it though?" he asked.

"I was just fueled with rage when he made the low blow of grabbing my spike…" I told him. He understood and slipped me a parcel.

"I brought you this. Something to comfort you. Try it when you're better," he said. I nodded. Brian and I were inseparable brothers. Our bond was strong enough that not even death could break it. Surely if either one of us died it would never be the same for either of us. But I would be worse off if he died. Most surely. Knowing that, I told him the second closest secret I hold to my heart. The Victini seal. I told him how I could learn anything because of the day that Victini had approved of me. I thanked him and slipped it into my mental storage. He left just then.

….

Assume the POV Position Rotation

….

My mom had bugged me to go and check on Zach that day. I had heard that due to a fight with a burly Scizor that he was in the hospital. Rachel was hanging out with her friends so I had nothing better to do. But I decided. Zach had a seal and I needed to give him something that will make him happy. So I decided to bring a Tutor Disk that teaches Ice Punch. I remember the seal gives him the capacity to learn any move that is teachable. Teachable is the key word. Moves that are non-teachable means that he can't learn it. I know there has to be moves out there that he can't learn. Otherwise it would make him the most powerful person in the entire world. I don't know why he wants other people to know about it, but I can figure. It could get him in real trouble. He uses moves that you would expect a Gallade to know, instead of moves that are just completely out there. He's smart. I went up to the front desk and saw a Lucario as the receptionist.

"I'm here to my brother, Zach Regaldi," I stated.

"Ah sure! He's on the 32nd floor, stall B67. Look for my son; his name is Jake," she told me. I knew where that was. Since Rachel volunteers here I often know my way around. It's still incredible about the size of each hospital. This is a small one. At most they've been able to go to floors 124. The record 180. It was amazing how they could keep buildings stable. It was all thanks to a neat system. I walked through the corridor and found the elevator. They're really slow, so up to 32nd floor would take about ½ a minute. When I got there I saw the long corridor of halls. I knew at the end of them I would find Zach. I walked through and saw all the injured soldiers, diseased civilians, and everything across the spectrum. It was because we were close to a boundary and a military camp. This was the largest and best hospital nearby to Camp Iron. It got that name since it has the best reputation for being a strong and solid defense. Just outside the stall I saw a Lucario who was really involved in a sports magazine.

I asked him, "Are you Jake?"

"Yep. You must be Zach's brother then," he said. He knew.

"Alright. I actually wanted you to be a surprise for him," he smiled. I nodded. I had the parcel carefully stored out of sight that contained the sheet for learning Ice Punch.

I heard Jake talking to Zach, but only faintly. I just then heard Zach yell out, "NO MORE SURPRISES!" I didn't understand the rest of what he was saying, but I assumed he was irritated. Jake just then motioned me to come in. When I walked in I saw a blue Gallade with glasses. He resembled me, but he looked a bit more weakened and not quite as strong.

"You don't mind if you leave do you?" I asked. They nodded and left the room and closed the curtains. "Well then, wassup sup? You're a real crazy son of a bitch. Taking on two of the strongest kids for your grade simultaneously on different days. How did you do it though?" I asked.

"I was just fueled with rage when he made the low blow of grabbing my spike," I answered. I understood. I read the newspaper and saw that the kid he messed with actually was a dark legion spy. And he just foiled him. I respected him for that, but I can understand his thoughts. 'What would a dark legion spy want to do with me?' I could feel like he was becoming more and more paranoid. He had to make sure he wouldn't get too hyped up or face the consequences.

"I brought you this. Something to comfort you. Try it when you're better," I told him as I handed him the package. In it was the disk that he could use to learn Ice Punch. I was out of the house most of the time because I had my own apartment. I knew it simply because of battle class. So I made my own instructions and put it on a disk. I was smart with the technology we had. Compared to other families, we're somewhat more wealthy than them, but not by much. We can't, "Afford the finer things in life" quite like other more powerful families. I knew though that in general we could afford certain things. Our parents paid money to get us into a physical class and technological class. Zach even wanted to take a political class, and our parents sure enough said, "Sure! Why not?" And Zach got into the class. Now that I look at it, it would seem our parents have an unlimited supply of money that keeps appearing. But something didn't make sense. You can't rake in that much money just by studying archaeology and mythology, and same goes for cooking. Especially when it is made from the mind. I never really tried to find it out, but I'm sure I've noticed this in the past, and just don't remember it. I trailed off and went to go back home. Things sure did confuse me though, as my parents are not the most conspicuous pair in the world. Something is just off about them. I decided to ignore it and go.

….

Back To Zach's POV

….

The second day of being the hospital was almost all the same thing all day. I was feeling a hell of a lot better than yesterday. Not unnerved, but still hurt. Because of that, I had to wait an extra day, excluding the fact I get out at 5:00 P.M. It was mainly just me getting regular check-ups and physical tests. Otherwise I was sitting in the hospital bed watching television and getting up to go to the bathroom. They gave me small meals, and they were mainly just some vegetables and meat. Nothing else, but I assume that's just what they have on hand. My parents will pick me up.

At the end of the day after my 3rd meal, my parents arrived. They thanked the doctor, picked me up, and we went home. We weren't silent on the way home at all. This was the primary conversation in the car.

"Honey, are you okay?" asked my mom.

"Yes, I'm fine. A bit roughed up, but fine," I answered.

"You don't look fine, that's what mom is trying to get at," said dad. I had bruises and scratches around my body.

"I'm just worried…" I said.

"Look Zach, I don't know why that dark legion kid was trying to do, but whatever it was, he failed at it, sure enough. It probably was a misconception," my dad responded. I doubted it. You couldn't mistake me for someone else.

"Just don't worry about it. They're not going to hurt you," my mom tried to reassure.

"I just feeling a messed up from that jerk grabbing my spike," I said. They knew about that.

"I could imagine how rough that is. I've never been grabbed by my spike on purpose. Only by accident has anything ever happened to it. He was a Scizor right?" he asked. I nodded. "They're not meant for being gentle. They have a steel hard exoskeleton around their body and their heart. They can be ferocious fighters." Those words didn't comfort me. It made me feel like I was in for it.

"I think you're scaring him…" my mom muttered.

"Nonsense. The kid looks exactly like me when I was young. Except with a different color," he said. I don't really like to mention this, but my dad isn't the most supportive person. Well, most of the time. "He's a great fighter, very athletic, smart, and is really good at enduring."

"I guess you could describe me like that," I said. While rolling my eyes. My mom whispered something into my dad's ear. I raised my eyebrow. That pretty much ended the conversation. There was a silent ride from here to the rest of the way home. I was going to lay down and watch some TV when I got there. I had nothing else to do except sleep at the right time. I had to go to school tomorrow; or at least that's what my dad said. He's incredibly strict about me going to school. I don't know why, but he seems to really take it seriously. He's always been a very serious parent except when he's trying to mess around with me and my brother by teasing us, or getting us to do something unnecessary. He also is a very disciplinary dad. He can be incredibly directional and dictative at times. In general he is still my dad, so I do like him, but honestly, out of the entire family…

Brian. He's the one I turn to the most for advice. The reason why is because he's the only one that has been through what I've been through. My parents don't know the first thing about school compared to the school they had as a child. He also is just as smart as me and like I said earlier; we form a dynamic duo. If we work together we almost always get everything done. Of course we still bicker with each other from time to time, but not as much as we talk friendly to each other. Of course, I would only see him about 30% of the day since he doesn't really _live _at the house. He has his own apartment that he spends time in. When I become a senior my parents are going to put me in his apartment. They said it would help prepare him for living on his own in college and having to supply himself. However, his parents acted as a reassurance area. He would visit time-to-time to have dinner or whenever I wanted him here.

My mom is nice, but she has a same problem that she shares with dad. She doesn't know about the first thing I went through at school. She wasn't there and she doesn't know what it was like. Plus they're both very confusing. They say very contradictory things to each other and have very separate opinions. Yet they're married? It's completely weird and it doesn't make too much sense to me. Even during the figurehead elections they disagree on which candidate to choose. Fortunately enough the traits didn't pass on too much to Brian. He is much more understandable and more conspicuous than the two of them. I decided to let myself get wrapped around in TV and go to sleep. I would wait the next day before thinking about anything.

….

The next morning I woke up on my own. It was 4:00. I am an extreme early bird. Somewhat of a morning person. I got my cereal but something didn't seem right. The house was completely silent. Even for 4:00 in the morning nothing seemed right. I made a bagel and ate it down hastily. I was feeling like someone was watching me. The land outside was dark and gloomy. I turned on the TV to try and wash away my fears.

Right as the news came on I saw the regular concern about the dark legion.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" yelled out a voice. Before I knew it an Umbreon leaped down and tried to sucker punch me. I was in a terrible condition to fight. Worse than before fighting Tucker. I tried to counter it with mach-punches but I didn't have any energy. I was getting knocked around. Just then I saw my worst nightmare. The Umbreon grew until it was giant. It opened its mouth and roared. It came in for the finishing blow.

"Ah!" I yelled out in my bed. My head and body leapt up from my bed in fright. I looked around and saw my body in fine condition. Thank god it was just a nightmare… I've had nightmares before, but this one in specific was horrid. I felt like I could have wet myself in that dream. Unlike usual, I felt like sitting in my room. I had a TV in my room. There wasn't anything to do, considering I had just finished the most recent book. I've been running on the TV for a while now. In the hospital especially. I drowned myself in it until the clock hit 5:30 A.M. I then got up and went down to eat breakfast. At 6:40 I was greeted by my mom. She saw that I was shaken up. I told her about the nightmare. I ate regularly until I got to the bus stop. My brother also comes into the house at 7:00 to join me. I leave at 7:10 to go to the bus. It was also the most convenient way to get to school for Brian. He is already set on college and is going to be going to the central of the continent. Or I should say the central of the Avenger side of the continent. The midway of the continent is a border filled with blood and shrapnel. Two large gates facing each other in an ever constant staring contest. It wasn't casual though.

The main heart of the Avengers side was called Terra City. It was a large city with towering buildings, several stores, manufacturing companies, and media sprawling across the landscape. For humans, it's the New York City of the avengers. In hindsight though, it was a fun place to go for tourism or work. However, I didn't have the nearest idea of what I should do for a job. At the bus stop I got a warm welcome back. I was going to sit with Kyle again. I found him and sat down.

"You feelin' any better?" he asked.

"Just fine. Some scratches and bruises still remain, but nothing else," I told him.

"Why is a spike so important to you?" he asked.

"For two reasons. Something about it that not even scientists know keeps our emotions stable. Harming it would make us loose total control over our bodies and cause us to go bat-shit crazy. The other reason is that it contains our heart. You know, the thing that keeps us ALIVE," I said. I exaggerated the heart part.

"I understand," he said. Matt from 3 days ago popped over the seat.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just telling him why Gallade spikes are important," I told him.

"I learned about that once. It's like how are crowns are important to us," he said.

"Yeah, it calms your brain whenever you get into a mess so you can think properly," I said.

"How did you know?" Matt asked.

"I know a lot about anatomies," I said.

"That could easily make you a doctor," he said. That kind of ended our conversation. When I got off a lot of people welcomed me back. It was especially noticeable in homeroom. I also asked the hospital to get a physical on me so I could try out for the advanced battle class. They had filled me out and I had the sheets in hand. I asked to go down to the office when I got a bit holed up. I ran into Jake.

"Hey!" I greeted.

"Hey what's up? I see you're feeling better," he said.

"Yep. I just wanted to thank you for getting me out of there," I thanked.

"No problem. That's what friends are for, aren't they?" he questioned. "Where are you going?"

"To the office. I have a physical so I can try out for the advanced battle class. Did you hear about that?" I asked him.

"Heard of it, though I'm not gonna try. I know John is," he answered. I nodded and waved by. I got down to the office when I saw the ever so recognizable Fearow.

"Hey John," I greeted once more.

"Oh hey. What are you down here for?" he asked.

"Trying out for the ABC," I told him.

"Same. I find it ironic how the name of it is alphabetical," he said. We laughed at that and handed in our forms. We were both approved so all we had to do was hand these in during the battle class period. The ABC class starts today, so it was perfect timing. However, I had an excuse to get out the first day due to my injuries. The teachers would understand.

The Arithmetic period was quick. I talked a bit with Alexis. I could tell that she was just trying to have a regular casual friendship. I was always alert though. Sometimes I feel like I was jumping the gun a bit. Other times I felt like I had good reason. In general I was always rocking across the fence. Can't decide which side to take. However I think it would be better just to stick on top of the fence, if that even begins to make any right amount of sense.

Battle class was next. I went over to see Mr. Corton about the application for the ABC. He looked it over and said that I qualified. The ABC teacher was a Flygon. His name was Mr. Endire. He was an extremely physically fit Flygon. Incredibly fast, strong, and was really smart. When I handed him in the permission, he already knew about all of it. He allowed me to sit on the sidelines, but I had to participate tomorrow. I felt like that was no problem. But watching the sidelines I became increasingly more afraid. Why? Because this class had strict entering requirements for a reason. There were some SERIOUSLY difficult exercises taking place. 20 laps around the gym, 30 pull-ups for bi-peds, or 50 ground-pounds for non-bi-peds. It was a brutal class, especially when the techniques started to come by. We had to do fusing (which I already knew), and use it to its fullest extent. Whether it be for transportation or sheer power. I decided to let it go behind me and went to science/history. When I got there I took the seat with Kyle. It was a typical day, with Kyle messing with me along the way. He was a friend, but when that instigates you. A person that messes with you for fun, but you can forgive him for it.

When lunch time came around I decided to sit at Nihar's table. There was a bit more popularity there this time, and the majority of the people were friendly, except for these same two kids that would try to find every way to irritate everyone. I don't necessarily know _why _they do so, but they do it alright, and they keep doing it. Nihar was supposedly _friends _with them. I wasn't so sure, because they did make fun of him at times. Otherwise lunch went pretty smooth.

The same however cannot be said for the last period of the day, or study hall. That was the period where teachers wrap things up and kids do some last-minute work. If there was no work to do, they hang out or do battles. With the usual group, I made it clear I was battling no-one today. No exceptions too. Everyone understood especially with the run-in with Tucker. The crowd was fortunately not as large as it was yesterday. We were having a friendly conversation about battling.

"So John, I was watching from the sidelines, and to me, the ABC class looks like a bitch," I said.

"You're underestimating it. It is completely brutal. You're in for it tomorrow if you're not prepared. And make sure to NEVER get Mr. Endire mad. He will beat you down to a pulp if you're not careful," he said. That's flaunting it a bit, but he was right not to get Mr. Endire mad. He had a short temper, that could be caused by several things. Whether they couldn't perfect a fuse, a combo, or they were misbehaving, he would jump in and break anything up. There wasn't a single case in which Mr. Endire was trumped. I heard from a sophomore who took the battle class that Mr. Endire has an impenetrable reputation for being a good teacher. He is apparently the most highly acclaimed teacher in the school. However, he also was a kind and empathic teacher. His motto is, "Compassion and Discipline will make any class the right class." It was a wise motto for a wise teacher.

"I think I can handle it for some time… I'm just afraid my condition is going to bite me in the butt," I said.

"I'm glad I'm not taking that class. It looks like a pain," said Daniel. The others not in the class all started agreeing. Alexis came in to talk to Jake about something. I had no clue what it was, but I'm sure it was confidential. She left immediately afterwards which reassured my theory. I felt like today wasn't such a bad day compared to the other two. However, everything quickly was flipped upside down with four words.

"Hey! Give it back!" yelled a Pidgeot. We immediately looked around for the source of the distress and found it at a shelf of books. A Pidgeot was trying to get a book from a bully Rhypherior. They were both males, so I assumed they were enemies. The Rhypherior was holding a book that I assumed the Pidgeot was trying to check out. Everyone rushed to the scene. They were arguing, calling each other mean names. At one point I found my spot to intervene. I jumped just before the Rhypherior was trying to Hammer Arm the poor Pidgeot. Instantly, within a few seconds, I learned protect. Thank god for Victini's Seal. I hopped in and used protect to block the blow. Everyone was amazed.

"Who the hell are you?" he questioned.

"You haven't heard huh? I'm Zach Regaldi," I told him. The Pidgeot was standing there.

"You have no business in this. Move," he commanded.

"I made it my business. Now are you going to give it back or what?" I said. Everyone was cheering me on. He looked as if he wasn't going to give it back. He did. But I didn't see what was coming next.

….

That's the cliffhanger folks. Until chapter 3 you're going to have no track of what is going to happen

As for my fanfic schedule, it goes as this list follows:

Zach's Years: Freshman: Chapter 3 of this is next on my list. It's of course going to take a while. 10,000 words per chapter, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Legend Of The Demoknight: After I do chapter 3 of Zach's Years, chapter 6 of this is on my list. That one isn't going to take a while fortunately.

No Regular Trainer: Lastly, after chapter 6 of Demoknight is done, chapter 4 is on my list. That one, like Chapter 5 of demoknight, won't be that important.

Feel free to leave a review. Any comments/advice are/is appreciated. Check into my homepage for any further updates regarding my fanfics.


	3. Chapter 3, Unusual, Not A Freak

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokemon Fanfiction. Chapter 3, Unusual, Not A Freak

Author's Note: I procrastinated more than ever on this chapter. But in the end, I feel left alone. With TF2 updates pouring in like pickled toast, I've been trading like a Chihuahua. Sure my previous statement, didn't make sense, but who cares, because it's random. Plus, I'll be enwrapped in TF2 in about a week or two since I'll be "filming" for youtube.

This chapter is progressive, but not to the extent as the other two. It does teach an important lesson though, so I guess there's that to look forward to. Otherwise I have nothing else to yap on about. Enjoy the rest of the chapter!

**Disclaimer: It should be no big surprise that I don't have any rights to the pokemon series or Nintendo. There, I said it.**

….

The big bully Rhypherior didn't take kindly to make actions. He demanded, "Meet me at the gym. Or else," he said.

"Wait- what?" I said. He mashed his fists together. I just realized I had yet again got myself trapped in another situation that I would have to fight a brutal opponent. I was worried that this would start becoming routine…

"Well, looks like you've gotten yourself into another fight. At least you'll have an advantage," Eric said.

Matt from the bus corrected though, "But he's a junior! How's Zach gonna beat him?" I felt twice as roughed up the day before I fought Tucker. I remembered how he was a Dark Legion. It uncomforted me, but I felt better, as if this guy wasn't one. I just had gotten in his way and he wants to humiliate me. It might just happen, as I have more doubts than yesterday. As Matt pointed out, he's a junior. I'm a freshman.

"I think it's his niche to get to fight," said Kyle.

"It isn't. I'm tired as hell…" I said.

"Just be careful out there. Don't get into any situations where you're going to hurt yourself more than your opponent," said John, concerned. I thanked him. I was worried. I packed up my books and went to my locker. It was mid-period, so kids were out and about the school. Alexis approached my locker.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about your upcoming fight… I just wanted to ask you something…" she said.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you try to instigate? In that display you acted like you _wanted _to fight that guy," she said.

"Well I do instigate only if its right. I felt sad for the Pidgeot, so I wanted to intervene," I told her.

"That sounds like something a super-hero would do," she said. I don't know if that was reassuring or demoting. Couldn't tell.

"Well, I'm going to get prepared. If you need me I'll be in the cafeteria," I said. She nodded and then we parted. I went to the cafeteria to pick up a sandwich. I needed some fuel if I was surely going to endure the fight ahead. I ate the sandwich and saw a familiar face approached me. I smiled and he saw me and smiled back.

"Well if it isn't the lawful son of a bitch," he said.

"How are you holding up in high school?" I asked.

"Just fine. You on the other hand, hah!" he laughed. "I imagine you're some sort of hell."

"You don't even know…" I started off. His name was John. He was a Blaziken, and more off, he was Brians' girlfriend's (Rachel) little brother. We were the same age, and once Brian and Rachel got together, we became really good friends. He was a great fighter at the private school, and was a very popular child. "They've been swarming me like a plague."

"In a way they are. But you'll get used to it. Trust me," he said. "You seem to instigate a lot."

I sighed and said, "I just got asked about that 4 minutes ago," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"You're not on my team. You're on which one again?" I asked.

"L," he answered.

"Yeah, I'm on A. There's a shiny Gardevoir that's essentially the queen of the girls in our grade," I said.

"Oh… Alexis Fettner?" he asked.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"Hah, the guys in my team can't seem to stop talking about her. I don't have any focuses," he said. John was the most happy-go-lucky kid I knew. He was hard to get down on. He was going to have an easier time at high-school than I was. "What's with her and you?" he asked.

"Putting it that way sounds like we're having an affair," I said with a stern face.

"Are you kidding me? I would never suggest that. You're like polar opposites," I said.

"I guess. But she talked to me about instigating. I wasn't though…" I groaned.

"How weren't you? You clearly showed dislike towards that Rhypherior," he said.

"I didn't mean to do that! I just was standing up for the Pidgeot… Jeez…" I moaned. He nodded and realized what the real goal out of all that was. I was trying to stand up for a victim. We talked a bit more until I finished the sandwich.

"Good luck," he said. I smiled and waved. I had a match to go to.

….

The gym wasn't as packed as it has been before. I knew that there was considerably more people in the fight with Tucker than at this fight.

"By the way, I'm Josh," he said.

"I assume you know my name," I said. He nodded. A referee had come once again to watch over the fight. He looked pretty calm as if nothing serious was going to happen this time. I had hopes. This fight can turn out badly for either of us, but it won't be as serious as last time. I was given a new grade-spike cover. It's a special one that absorbs all mild shots towards the spike. The other one I had was specifically for the tip. They were really strong, and usually can protect the spike. But I was unfortunate enough not to have worn my spike cover the day of the fight with Tucker. Ever since, I've been holding onto it as close as possible. It was almost sort of a security measure. The fight with Tucker is easily the second worst thing to happen to me.

"Are the fighters ready to start?" asked the referee.

"Yes!" we called out. He waved a flag signaling the start. I started off with a mach-punch towards him. It was almost funny the next actions, even if it was sort of painful. When I got to him, he just lifted up an arm and blocked the blow like if he was getting poked. He picked me up but I squirmed my way out of his grasp. He tried using hammer arm but I jumped out of the way. I followed up with an ice-punch that the disc concealed that my brother had given me. I wasted no time learning it. He was surprised by the attack and took it on full-blow. He was even frozen to an extent by it. He was irritated. He struggled to get out while I was charging up a super-punch. Unfortunately for me, he broke out of it seconds before I hit him. It was enough time for him to time it right, and use a hammer arm to smack me out of the way. I was thrown away into a wall. It hurt but I've gone through worse. He dug his claws into the ground, and took out a large boulder. He was using boulder toss. I had to act quick. I had a striking idea though that I can use.

I will charge up as many punches as I can in the time before it can connect. I'll then hit it just right so that the boulder will go right back at him. Unfortunately it didn't work as planned. I only had time to charge up a mach-punch and ice punch, which smashed the boulder instead of repelling it. I was quickly shaken up by a sneak earthquake. I was thrown all around dealing damage that was quite painful. I tried to use a decoy-night slash but to no avail. He charge full-throttle, ramming me as a snowplow. I was smashed against a wall, conceived to only eyesight of him ready to hammer arm me. He pulverized me with a thunderous blow that left me paralyzed. Utilizing the time he pulled up another boulder from the ground and smashed on top of me. I had lost almost all hope. It looked bleak and pointless…

But yet… Something inside of me kept me pushing forth. It had looked like the match was over and people were starting to leave. I felt a feeling that didn't want the fight to be over yet. I had to muster the strength to lift up the boulder. But how. I just then knew how. It was going to be agonizing, but I would have to redo the retract on my spike. If a large pressure is upon a Gallade's/Gardevoir's spike, it will retract to prevent any harm. So I had one option. I forced the spike to slowly pop out. It looked like it wasn't working, but I only needed a centimeter to get my arms beneath me and thrust me up again. Surely enough, my spiked slightly jotted up the boulder and raised it a slight amount off my back. It wasn't enough, but it had to do. I pushed my arms into the ground and started lifting myself up. Before I knew it, the boulder was off of me and I was on my two legged fighting stance. It was clear that I was tired.

"You can give up now unless you want to get hurt even more," he said. His face was dead serious. However, it wasn't the face of the horrid Dark Minion. Tucker's face was full of anger. Josh's face was content, and respect. He knew for a freshman that I was a good opponent. He respected me and vice versa.

"I'll go until I need to really need to stop," I said. With those words the fight continued. My spike retracted as I took a fighting stance. He caused an earthquake but I used mach-punch to keep myself airborne. I lunged down and hit him full force with another ice punch. He was frozen yet again, and I only charged up a dual mach-punch and night-slash this time to hurt him. It worked quite well. In fact better than I expected. He was hurt quite bad from the combo. He then had one last final effort. He picked up another bullet and launched it as fast as possible. I had no time to react. I shot my arm out in front of me like a sword, and made it glow with a light beam. I had no idea what I was doing, and so did the rest of the crowd. But the beam helped me secure content. Well, sort of. It chopped the boulder clean in half. I knew what happened and I punched one slice away. The other one though, hit me rendering me in able. However, at just the same time, the other piece mashed into Josh and took him out too.

"It seems the match has ended in a draw. No one is deemed victorious," the referee said. The crowd had mixed feelings, and some started to even laugh about it. The referee helped us up. We shook hands and left. I had enough battling for the next few days. I had to stop getting into battles tomorrow. I can't take too much more. It was driving me insane. I decided it was time to get ready to go home, a sanctuary where I know I can at least not get hurt terribly bad.

….

I only started to see the true damage left over when my friends pointed it out to me on the bus. When I sat down next to Kyle he looked awestruck.

"Dude!" he said.

"What?" I asked.

"What… What happened? You looked like you went through hell and back," he said.

"Did I really get hurt that much?" I questioned.

"What's going- whoah!" Matt shrieked from the back.

"What is it?" said a kid in the seat he was in. His name was also Zach. His name was Zach Ferrari. He looked over and saw what I went through. I was clueless to what had happened. "Jeez! Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just tired… What's the big idea?" I asked. Zach whispered something to some girl on the bus and she pulled out a hand mirror. She gave it to him and he gave it to me.

"Look!" he said. I reflected my face and saw that there were several bruises. I looked into my shirt and saw several more. I even saw a purple spot on my arm when I looked through my body. That spot was numb.

"You feel fine?" asked Kyle.

"Yeah… I've been through worse," I shrugged.

"Wow, you must have some sort of change that happened with your skin. Some weird deformity I guess…" said Matt. That made me start thinking. What if this wasn't a blessing. What if this was a kind of curse. It started to make sense… For a bit. I lost the idea. I started thinking that Arceus gave me this to torture me; after all I didn't want what was coming. I shook off the idea quickly, realizing it was complete bullshit. I was somewhat silent, joining a single random conversation in the middle. When I got off the bus I went back home.

Even though my brother owns his own apartment, he does like to visit. He'll bring Rachel occasionally, and usually when he does, John usually came with her. We often did sports together and would run around the neighborhood or on the tread-mill. He tried to get into the ABC, but he didn't qualify. He was mad, but he kept his feelings to himself. I could have trumped him in a battle easily, so easily that we started keeping record. I had once gone 4 times without losing to him. He's fairly good, but apparently I'm better. However he is more athletic since he is a Blaziken. He's taller than I am, but I always get told that I hit it late. I have been growing about an inch every two weeks, so I'm sprouting up like a weed… When I got home I saw my brother there, but no one else joining him.

"Hey bro. Where's mom and dad?" I asked.

"They're at some sort of meeting… It's a joint meeting, so I assume it's important," he said. I nodded. I decided it was a safe time then to head up to dad's little mythology cabinet. It had a lock, but I had found it out a long time ago. He really goes far to secure the locks. There's three of them, and they all have 10 different numbers to enter, with each lock going up to 99. It took me a week to pick one, longer for the next one, and almost a month for the third. He even has an identity lock for the Extreme Confidential case. It was another unnerving and mysterious thing about them; they act completely regular, but they're completely inconspicuous. Me and my brother came up with stories about who they really are. But we just joked practically. We knew it was some sort of business reason. I entered in the first 10 numbers. 87-15-6-19-64-12-34-32-90-45. I breezed through the second one but then my mind went blank at the third lock. I almost spent 10 minutes trying to remember it. I heard Brian say a word that instantly made me remember. I'm not going to say which word it was, but it wasn't important. It was a pretty gruesome term that I shiver at saying. I entered in the code and the lock disengaged. The bookcase flipped around. I saw an arrangement of odd books. I saw the one I had read last week. Still in pristine condition. I scrolled through some books and then I found one with a blank title. It didn't have one at all. I opened it up and saw a contents. It contained all sorts of weird names. I recognized one, and it was Victini. I knew this was some sort of legends book. It made me think; what if all these urban legends were actually real and not some fake crap?

I opened the book and read on. I saw a name called Lugia. It was a mythical creature of the sea who fought for the well-being of pokemon. It had psychic powers beyond belief.

There was another one called Rayquaza. It was said to be a tyrant of the sky, circling the ozone layer never to come out. Extremely strong and large, it would pillage any city within an instant.

There was also one called Reshiram. It could summon infernos and firestorms large enough to engulf the entire earth in flames. It generates such powers in a large heater-like tail.

There were several other ones that I didn't understand quite as well. Some of the text was written in some sort of code language that was several thousands of years old. I put it back when I heard the garage doors start up. I quickly redialed the locks to their previous number, sealed away the door, and quickly removed all evidence that I was there in the first place. I came to greet them, but they were taken back by how harmed I was.

"Kid, what happened to you?" dad asked.

"Another fight… It's happening to me way too much," I moaned.

"Sweetie, you look horrible! How bad does it hurt?" mom asked.

"Not too bad actually," I said.

"It was a Rhypherior," Brian said.

"Hmph. Those are some tough cookies," he said.

"It was a junior too," Brian added on.

"What? How bad did you lose?" he asked.

"It was a draw," I said.

"On a junior?" mom asked.

"Not a very good one," I added.

"Well, I guess I have no other to congratulate you," he said and patted me on the back. I didn't feel like I deserved it. I felt sorry for myself in a way.

"I don't think I should be congratulated… I sort of got myself into the fight," I said nervously. I didn't know what to expect out of them.

"You instigated?" mom asked. I nodded.

"Huh… Well, let's take care of this later," dad said. He left into his room, looking fairly concerned. Mom left to join him, looking very concerned as well. My brother looked at me. He knew everything already, so he went back to reading his magazine. I decided to sit down at my computer. I had a fair amount of researching to do. Some homework assignments based on how some old people settled into a land and flourished starting a civilization. I started to just forget everything and daze off into homework. Today wasn't the best day ever…

….

I decided to go and sneak into the computer night after hours. It was 11:34 at that time. I knew how to be silent in my footsteps so I successfully made it down. I was looking up certain mythical stories. Brian was at his apartment, probably sleeping with Rachel. A thought popped into my head but I rushed it out. I went to the computer and started it up.

"What were you thinking about?" a voice asked. I should have mentioned I know who this voice is. It's none other than the Victini I had met. It can communicate through my seal. It's almost like my inner conscience in a way. I called it Vic.

"Nothing. It's about my brother," I said. It knew all about my life.

"I heard thoughts of love, and sensed certain jealousies. What is this all about?" it asked. I'd prefer to say he. He sounds a bit more of a man, but still quite genderless.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he said.

"Alright then. I just think of how my brother and his girlfriend are always so happy with each other…" I said.

"So you long for someone?" he asked.

"Not quite… it just makes me wonder what I'd be with someone else. I'd be much different," I said.

"A girl or boy can really make one another lose focus on their world. But it's unavoidable. It's something that everyone experiences in different ways," he said.

"I just want to know- does your species have a gender?" I asked.

"Technically no. We live essentially as long as we live. We don't age," he said.

"Interesting," I said. I pulled up the searching engine.

"What are you searching for?" he asked.

"Lore," I said. "I found some names in a book of my dad's," I said.

"Yes, the odd one. Even though he and your mom may not be very conspicuous, they do share a great love for each other," he said.

"Of course. I wouldn't be here if they didn't. I still remember the whole reason though why I have this discoloration," I said. A story yet untold… I searched up an article called the Phalanxious gene. I pulled it up.

"What is this?" Vic asked.

"Read it. It's why I have this color," I said. The article read as follows.

_**Phalanxious Gene, Ancient Coloring Machine**_

In one recorded case of the world, there is a young Ralts. He's like every other Ralts. 6 pounds, 2 feet, and a very cute child. What makes young Zach Regaldi different from the rest is he is a red Ralts.

Scientists rushed immediately to figure out why such an unusual discoloration happened in this child, and why it only happened with him. They took several blood samples and DNA extraction progresses. It was all regular except for one gene that has not been seen in any other life forms. In the entire DNA line, it had an extra 2 strands of nitrates, adding for several different DNA combos. There were no longer only 4 strands in his DNA complex, but 6, all interloping with each other. It made his DNA infinitely times more complicated, and harder to study.

They soon found out that a simple gene had carried on this deformity, but one thing didn't make sense. Why had the gene not affected its carrier? Several theories were taken and blood samples from the parents and his one brother were taken. They discovered that his dad, Max Regaldi, actually had a an unusual gene that would be passed on by its predecessors from over a thousand years, until it gained enough significance until it changed the offspring's DNA. However, the most unusual thing is that the coloring was passed over a thousand years, which meant that the gene has passed down the Regaldi family line as far as it can date back. Certain investigations are being held to figure out who lived back then.

Scientists needed to take more samples, so they released that in every blood-drawing that they would take a slight bit more to be sent to scientists, or pokemon could generously give a hair sample to the DNA Discoveries foundation. They named the gene the Phalanxious Gene, representing the Phalanxes, an ancient group of tribal men that lived a thousand years ago.

"Even though my son has a unique color, he will always be like any other Ralts, no matter what happens," says Max Regaldi. (Vic laughed when he read that part.)

"I for one think proudly that my little child is a one of kind-unique Ralts. I know he will grow up like any other Ralts, but he will always be special and different from one another," says the mother, Megan Regaldi. For the most part this investigation will have private results.

Written by,

Author Name Here

I could tell when Vic was done reading. He reads through my mind.

"So that's interesting. How did the results turn out?" he asked.

"It got classified somehow… I have no idea, but I guess they abandoned the project," I said.

"Well that's interesting," he said. I pulled up a research site and pulled up an article about mythical creatures. I saw an index in this website that listed 3 different names. They were known as the legendary birds.

There was Zapdos, a bird that lives in Lightning Clouds. It watches above in a storm that will never die off, and a most violent one at that. It has the strength of 100 lightning bolts in the flap of a wing. Its peck causes a thunderous roar whenever it strikes.

Then there was Articuno, a bird that lives in supposed caverns inside of icebergs. It makes its home in a spot so cold that people will freeze just by entering. It can freeze cities whole in a single breath and can whip up blizzards with a flap of its tail.

Lastly there was Moltres, a bird that makes its homes in the bases of volcanoes. Its cry can make volcanoes erupt in an instant, and creates infernos wherever it flies. The flaps of its wings will heat up landscapes to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

They were legendary, which means there is no confirmed footage, but certain witnesses say they've seen the few trio. They made sketches of great mighty birds.

"I know a Moltres," Vic said. The words made my heart race.

"What?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes, in the volcano you met me. There was a Moltres living there. He still lives there now," he said.

"God I gotta go there when I can! I know just the way how too," I grinned. I could tell that Vic was brimming with excitement.

"How will you do so?" he asked.

"You know my brother has his own apartment? If Rachel is out he lets me stay there. I'll tell my parents I'll be going to Brian's, but I'll be heading to the old volcano. You still are there correct?" I asked.

"I'll meet you in a specific covering. There will be an insignia," he said. He drew a marking in my mind. I sketched it down. "Look for a carving of that symbol in the wall. I'll be behind that symbol, and I will guide you to where he lives." I was surprised that a Moltres had a gender. "But wait- what about the guards?"

"Damn, forgot about them…" I said. I started brainstorming. I knew I had to lead the guards away from them. I could use a decoy, but I wouldn't be able to control it. Just then I knew what would work. I would use a sort of fire blast in order to draw the guards away. I would sneak around and enter the cave when they were checking out what it was. I just needed to get a Flamethrower disc, or…

John the Blaziken could teach me. I knew that he was coming over tomorrow, so he would be able to teach me. It would seem odd, especially that I would get it down quickly, but I'm sure he won't mind.

"I know how. It will take me a few days… But I'll be able to do it in due time," I said.

"Good to hear. Get some rest, it's late," he said. I looked at the clock and it was already 12:19. I snuck back up and had some-last minute thoughts. The Phalanxious Gene had to have been 1000 years old. I was wondering if my ancient ancestor somehow lived extremely long and had one child only. After all, genes aren't able to last a long time especially if they're dormant. It was weird.

The other thing is I don't know what it would be like to encounter a Moltres… It was a mythical being that was rumored to be extremely powerful. I'm hoping Vic would be able to convince him not to treat me badly… Hopefully.

The last thing is I started feeling like some sort of weirdo. I was completely different from all other Gallades in more ways than one. It was my personality too. I started feeling like a freak due to that article… I worriedly fell asleep, only to have a not-so pleasing nightmare to antagonize me the way through my sleep.

….

I woke up feeling extra drowsy, so I hesitated no time jumping into the shower. I had a small pep talk with Vic. I was feeling a bit down today, and now the pains from yesterday's fight were really starting to pack on. My face hurt a bit, the numb spot on my arm was riddled with soreness, and the bruises hurt to the bone. I was aching a lot, and my dad gave me some not so useful device.

"Just walk it off," he said. Which isn't easy considering it's hard to walk. I was concerned about how I would even get around. I could ask for a crutch at school, but that would look odd. I guess I would just have to take dad's advice and walk it off…

Even the walk to the bus was difficult. Brian wasn't there today, so I had troubles getting there in time. Literally, after seconds of showing up, the bus came by. I felt like everything was going downhill since yesterday's fight. The only positive thing was the Moltres act. Nothing much else. I got on the bus and just said that I didn't want to talk today. They really urged me into joining a chat but I always turned them down, or gave a short answer. I had a pretty sad or bored tone, or somber I guess is the way to describe it. I wanted to be alone for the first time since school began, and I wanted it bad. I didn't talk at all most of the day. I had an irritated face and clearly didn't want to talk. I was silent for the most of first period until I got to battle class. I knew I would have to step up to the plate, and it was NOT going to be easy. The ABC was brutal and I knew it. It was going to be twice as hard due to my injuries. I told Mr. Endire that I won't be able to give it my all. He looked pretty displeased, but noticed some of my injuries. He looked a little less distraught afterwards.

He started us off with 10 laps around the field. It was agonizing. I was ranked #3 on the loser chart on his standards. John was #2 on the winner chart, only to be matched by a Primeape named Michael. It was really actually a good thing to try and be on the winner chart; because it would get Mr. Endire off your ass. He would really be strict if you're not doing well, and I could tell. In each exercise he lectured me.

When we were doing wall plants and flips, I was fumbling all over the place. Plus, he had no care for language. He had his own solitary room just so he could yell at the students all day. I tried doing a flip but landed in a face-plant because I couldn't put enough power on my legs without it burning like firewood. Here's his reaction.

"If you can't flip it makes you look like a dumbass fish. He tries to get out of water to see that he can't breathe," he said. It angered me, and that was his intent. But I knew I was already doing my best without hurting myself.

We were doing pivots and quick turnings. He was an essential opponent and we would face the other way. He would do a three-way combo. You had to block each one in order to be successful. If you weren't you would try again. The students had trouble, and we were not allowed to watch. When I came up, this is where all the shit went down… In fact, it got me in serious trouble. I turn towards the wall ready to see what I was in for. He mixed it up each time and had an arsenal of moves. I turned around to see him try to use dragon claw, I move but not enough to get stricken by the fury. It burned.

"You moron! You have to JUMP out of the way! No shift to the left a bit!" Mr. Endire yelled.

"Dodging gusts is a piece of cake! You spin the other way!"

"You don't jump into dragon breath you jump away from it!"

"God damn it! How do you not expect me to jump out of the ground!"

"Why can't you dodge a simple steel wing?"

"Avoiding counters is as easy as 1, 2, 3! You expect a counter, you move out of the way, then you counter yourself!" I was just about ready to lose my mind. In a way, I almost did. I was so mad that in the last time, it went too far. I turned around to see him use an aerial ace. I dodged swiftly and then he launches a gust at me. I spin around it and he lunges at me with a dragon claw. But something inside fueled a forbidden rage. The words, "Counter yourself" hung in my heart. I was so mad that I turn around charging a psycho-cut and hit him full on with it. Not expecting it he goes flying. I realized instantly that I had gotten myself into such trouble that would not end positively. He got back up quickly with furious eyes. He looked as if he was ready to attack me aggressively. The students turned around in time for me to punch Mr. Endire straight on. They were awestruck, and almost scared. I stood staring at the floor feeling like I had lost all hope.

"You're coming with me to the principal's," he said. I nodded grimly and left the room. The students stood still.

"Class dismissed," he announced. I didn't lift my head shamefully when going through the corridors. Not a single word was said.

….

We walked into the office and he asked for a moment with Mrs. McConnell. She was the principal of the school, and she was a Meganium. She was kind, but could go from friendly to fiendish in seconds. I knew this wasn't going to go well.

"You've got yourself into some grim shit friend," Vic said in my mind. I didn't say anything.

"What is it Mr. Endire?" Mrs. McConnell asked when he came in.

"This student, Mr. Regaldi, had attacked me during a training session," he claimed. She looked displeased with the remark, but not very furious.

"Can you describe the situation?" she asked.

"Yes. My class was doing the turn-around counter exercise as you know. Zach right here was doing horribly. For some reason, after he finally gets it right, he hits me with a full-power Psycho-cut. I demand proper punishment," he said.

"What do you say is proper punishment?" she asked.

"An OSS," he said. All of a sudden that didn't sound like a bad idea. I would have a full-day just to go the volcano. I was almost hoping for it.

"Now Zach, tell me your side of the story," Mrs. McConnell said. I didn't expect that. I had a sudden sense of self-pride. No school suspension or not, I wanted to stand up.

"Well for the most part he tells the truth. I hit him with a full-on Psycho-Cut. The thing he didn't get right was that I had successfully completed the exercise," I said. He turned around. It was working out perfectly. I would make myself seem right, yet get a punishment too. It was genius. "I may have dodged all of his attacks, but I still failed the exercise. I failed because I hurt him. I know it was wrong." The two of them were speechless. Mr. Endire looked dumbstruck to what he was hearing. There was a pause of silence, and Mrs. McConnell broke it.

"Well, I am going to have to take Mr. Endire's request. You have an outside of school suspension tomorrow Mr. Regaldi," she said. I felt sort of derp-ish. I tried but it didn't work out.

"Thank you Mrs. McConnell," he said and left the room. I got up but she told me to sit back down.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I want to talk to you some more. About the whole incident. I know you hadn't mean to do it," she said.

"In a way I did. It felt good," I said, as if shooting myself in the foot. I knew that wasn't the case.

"Don't say that. Why would you lie to get yourself out of trouble? You already have the OSS, why go for worse?" she asked. I didn't say anything. "I know that it was almost involuntary in a way. You had built up rage hadn't you?" I still was silent. "Mr. Endire is a vile teacher. It makes him the best. You had been angered because you couldn't get it right. When you had enough, you wanted to show him who was the right one. But you had gone too far, and you regret it. That's the most important thing. This could get you out of more trouble then you need," she said.

"How?" I asked.

"Answer yes or no to this question. Did you regret it?"

"No," I said. It was true. I was truly mad at Mr. Endire. He didn't give let-up to anyone who was hurt.

"Good," she said.

"What?" I asked confused.

"This is the only case where I disagree with Mr. Endire. Out of all his years of teaching this is the only time I would disagree with his method. I know that you're badly hurt due to three, very difficult consecutive battles. It was wrong of him to take it easy on you," she said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You have every reason to be mad at him," she said. I was dumbstruck. "You can leave now."

I walked out the door. But before I left I said one thing. "By the way, Mrs. McConnell, thanks for understanding."

"Do not mention it, especially to Mr. Endire," she said. I left and went onto 3rd period for history and etc.

….

3rd period really dragged on. I was very silent… I didn't want to talk much. If I was called on I would answer without much of a tone. I was kind of depressed even though I was shown kindness before-hand. I was all sort of overwhelmed and confused. It was difficult to follow along, and it wasn't just me. The entire class was struggling with the content. Over 10+ people needed to be memorized of when they were born and what they did. Plus there were several vocabulary terms and areas, or events that had to be memorized thoroughly. We were already going to be given a test tomorrow on what we had learned. The teacher said to study hard as it will review what he had just learned in about the last hour. It was all a jumble really. I had hoped to lose some piece of mind during lunch. Couldn't quite happen since no one was at Nihar's table except Nihar, who in fact had gone to a different table. So I had no choice but to go to Kyle's table where I got a surprisingly warm welcome. I didn't talk as much either until Kyle decided to ask.

"Hey dude, you were quiet during history. Even for someone determined you were oddly quiet. What was that all about?" he asked.

"I'm guessing I should tell you since John didn't. I punched Mr. Endire with a psycho-cut and got an OSS," I said. That gained everyone's attention and caused them to swarm around me. They asked why and I gave them the same answer every time. I had done it out of rage and didn't regret it since he was being a really big asshole since I was hurt already. Everyone supported me and though the same, while a few people didn't know who Mr. Endire was. I told them and went on my way. I said to Kyle that I wasn't going to join the group today. In fact I was going to leave early, that is you need to have permission from your parents/guardian(s). I kept trying to stay silent but the crowd just forced me to talk. I was able to call my parents and they sent Rachel to pick me up and bring me there, along with dropping John off at my house. She was also picking up Brian. I met Brian there and we had a friendly little conversation. I didn't tell him about the suspension. In fact it was helping me. After about 5 minutes I saw Rachel and the ever familiar John. He was a bit shocked at how much I had been hurt.

"Wow what happened to you?" he asked.

"It was the fight on that Rhypherior. He beat me up, but it was a tie. Plus a rough battle class," I said.

"Yeah I heard some kid actually hurt the teacher Mr. Endire since he wasn't cutting him some slack. He got an OSS," he said. The fact that the news had spread unnerved me, but at least my name wasn't mentioned. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… just a bit bored. Hey by the way, could you teach me the move Flamethrower?" I asked.

"What? Why?" he asked back.

"It's always seemed useful as a ranged attack to me. It would help a lot. I know I can learn it too," he said. He took my word for it and agreed to help me learn Flamethrower. They dropped us off at my house and we went outside where he would teach me. It was not easy to learn at all; it was a complicated process and actually had many different fundamentals in how to actually control it. It took us some rigorous process training, but after 2 hours, I knew how to keep a somewhat steady flamethrower beam. I thanked him and knew something that would help. Even though it was weird, I could take a bath that had special minerals mixed in to help alleviate certain wounds and sores. I knew it would help with recovery.

I asked mom if I could borrow some for using it in a bath and she said sure. The same sort of carelessness that she has with money is also for everything else I do that isn't a large problem. I got the water flowing and relaxed in. I felt easily relaxed as I sank into the tub. I was supposed to relax and move as little as possible. I was having a mental conversation with Vic that actually would help. A lot more than I expected.

"Man I feel like a freak right now," I said to Vic.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"It's just because of… well, ME," I said.

"I don't understand," he said.

"I'm saying I feel too different from everyone else. Just the life I've had," I responded.

"You feel different from everyone?" he asked. He always asked and would comment until he knew everything. It was his personality.

"Yes. It makes me feel like a freak," I said.

"Even though you're clearly different you're just like them. You're special," he said.

"That doesn't help. Everyone would say that. It doesn't change anything. I could have had a regular life but a simple gene tells me not to. It makes me a freak," I said.

"Hey! It does not make you a freak! It makes you…" he said. He had trouble.

"It makes me what? Exactly. It makes me a different freak from the rest of everyone else," I said.

"It makes you…

Unusual."

Unusual… That word starting ringing in my head over and over again. I was silent and didn't say anything. It just then struck me. I wasn't a freak. I was simply unusual and unlike the rest of the people. It wasn't bad that I was different, nor was it good. It was just simply making me unusual.

"Thanks," I said.

"For what?" he asked.

"For helping me gain a grip on myself," I answered.

"I don't understand," he said once more.

"I'll leave you to figure this one out," I said. He started ranting but I just ignored him and relaxed. It took him a few minutes but he eventually understood the grasp of it. He had helped me break an issue that I was having trouble with, and yet it only took one word. It started making me think how little it can take to make a big difference. A simple millimeter of off balance could send an entire table crashing down to the ground. A small chip in the main column of a building could make it collapse. Concrete absorbing water becomes weak and easy to break through. It all made sense to me now. So I could now continue forward calmly.

….

"It's impressive the progress he's making."

….

(WANANANA, SCARY)

….

I had another nightmare that night. It goes as follows. I was sleeping but I couldn't help shake the feeling that someone or something was watching me. Vic was muttering constant nonsense in my mind while I felt something slowly rubbing my spike. But nothing was rubbing it.

I was on edge incredibly frightened. Unable to handle it I get out of bed trying to open the door to find out I'm locked in. I try to go for the window but it suddenly isn't there. The roof flies off and a gigantic gust comes out. I see a dark black Flygon with menacing red eyes glaring down at me very irritated and displeased. He opens his mouth and starts sucking me in. I try to hold onto my bed but I can't hold on. I fly into his mouth and as the mouth closes I wake up.

I was sweating and my entire sheet was almost moist. I was panting and dehydrated. I looked at the clock and it was only 11:43 P.M.

"Vic," I said. "Vic!"

"What… I'm sleeping," he said.

"I can't sleep. I've been having constant nightmares…" I told him.

"Constant? For how long?" he asked.

"Since the fight with Tucker," I said.

"Calm yourself then. I know a trick. Lay down, get some water, and relax," he said. I followed his instructions.

"Good. Count to 8," he said. I was confused but did so.

"1…, 2…, 3…, …, 8," I said. Before I knew it I felt a lot lighter and more relaxed. I slowly closed my eyes and drifted off into another land. I didn't have a single nightmare that night afterwards.

….

I had a trick to get me into a completely conspicuous way. I had an OSS so I wasn't expected to be at school that day. So I just fake that I go to school to my parents and brother while I really head over to the Slugma Volcano. I see some guards at a post along with a wired fence. I had planned for this and knew a way in. I see a security outpost. I sneak along the fence and hide in it. An officer comes in and looks for a certain item. I come out of my completely hidden hiding spot and pounce on him. He tries to signal but I jab his hand and use hypnosis on him. He falls completely asleep and I can take his uniform. I switch the uniforms and take his badge. He was also a Gallade, lucky for me. I hid my red skin and spike so that I looked completely regular. I was let through the large gate without problem. I run around and see the compound. I see the entrance to the massive volcano.

"Hey Vic, you there?" I asked.

"Yeah. How is it going?" he asks.

"I'm within the fence. I just need to use the distraction. Is the insignia in place?" I ask.

"Yeah, go as far down through the main corridor. Look up and I'll yank you up. It'll be the first time we've seen each other in a year," he said.

"Yeah, I know," I said. I'll also be able to see a Moltres was what I was really excited about. I rolled up my sleeves and charged a fire ball in my hands. I did just as what John told me and I transferred it into an energy. I launch the energy out in to the sky and everyone is immediately alerted. It works just as planned. Everyone rushes to the source, including the gate guards. It's my perfect opportunity to sneak in, so I do so.

….

POV Switch To Anonymous

….

"So Jim what do you think that flame was all about?" I asked.

"I don't know Alex. That doesn't look regular. I'm going to check this footage," Jim said. He looked through it thoroughly. His face then went grim.

"Uh oh…! Intruder! He is a Gallade!" he announces over the microphones and sounds the alarm.

….

I hear an alarm go off and stereos in the tunnel say, "Intruder! He is a Gallade!" I knew my cover was blown.

"Is that you?" Vic asks.

"No time to talk!" I said. I use agility to give myself a very fast boost and I start sprinting down the corridor. They were just too fast though. One was an Accelgor and the other was a Swellow. Even running at 25 miles an hour was no match for the fully adult two. They caught up to me right when I saw the insignia on the wall. The Accelgor used Bug Buzz and paralyzed me. My ears rang with some serious might.

"Help!" I yelled. He knew at that instant that I needed help.

He jumped through the insignia. He stood there for a sec and then charged a blaze with his ears. He launched the fire V in a row and knocked the two off. There was no doubt that the blast had knocked them out.

"Well I had to save your ass, but here you are," he said.

"Thanks. It's good to see you after a year," I said.

"Come on. I dug a path to Moltres's room," he said. I smiled. It's not every day that you get to meet a mythical legend considering your friend is already one. He showed me a small tunnel. I had to crawl through it and it was really tight. At one point I saw an opening.

"You see, the Slugma volcano isn't actually a volcano. It's called the Magcargo Sanctuary. It's a large molten world where several different fire pokemon get together and live in the largest underground magma patch in the world. There IS everything here. You name it and we have it. But I want you to meet only Moltres, and nothing else. Is that fine?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said.

"Good, follow me," he said. I saw the opening and it was now a cave instead of a tunnel. I could stand here and I saw a long narrowing passage. I saw some Slugma along the way with a Magcargo too. There were some Growlithe playing while an older brother Arcanine was chasing them. They were all primal; not the civilized ones. I started to notice the cave was getting larger. Until I saw what would be one of the most important areas in my life. It was enormous. Several miles wide, filled with lava and burning logs galore. There were hundreds of fire-types playing joyfully in the terrain, having so much fun. I even saw an urban legend pokemon on its own. A Magmortar. There were only Magmars at the school. I was impressed that they were actually real. Of course, it was primal.

"The path to Moltres is reserved and uses a special lock system," he said. He showed me to a wall. It was completely regular but he drew some water from a water gun. He shot it at the rock and the rock became a Geodude. He moved out of the way to reveal a very narrow tunnel. It was not possible to tell that the rock was a Geodude. It was completely conspicuous. I wouldn't have guessed at all. It revealed a narrow tunnel like the one I got here to. He motioned me to come though.

I was all having trouble taking this in. I had never known just how beautiful this area is. I almost teared up when I saw the area. I had never seen anything quite like it. It's a shame that no one will ever be able to see this but the residents, and I want it to stay that way. Some things must be preserved.

We got to the end of the tunnel when a Golem was standing there. He grunted and Victini said something that I assumed was primal language. He stomped twice and a Machamp moved a solid rock wall. In there I saw a gigantic red bird resting on a large perch surrounded by a lava moat. That was Moltres.

He was huge. Twice as tall as me. His wings were coated with embers and flames. His mane was hot enough to feel from across the room. Just as legendary as the website said. Victini went up to the moat and said, "Mr. Moltres!" His eyes struck open and he cried out with a roar.

"What is it Victini? I have been sleeping fine," he said. He was tired I could tell.

"It's him. The one I told you about," Vic said.

"Yes… This is the child with the Phalanxious Gene. Welcome, Zach Regaldi," Moltres said.

"It is an un-measurable honor to be here," I said.

"You gained an approval from Victini, yes?" he said. He spoke slowly but surely. I pulled up the back of my shirt and removed a cover to show him my seal.

"Yes!" he yelled out. He let out a call. "He has asked me to teach you!" he said.

"What?" I asked, almost scared.

"Do not be alarmed! You can learn any move, yes?" he said. I nodded, yet gulped too.

"Yes!" he called out. He was very excitable. I was petrified though.

"You know Flame Punch, yes?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Good!" he said. "I will teach you a move that is twice as powerful as your flame punch." I started to like where this was going. "It is called, Flame Fury!"

"How do I learn Flame Fury?" I asked.

"Learn? Learn? HAHAHAHHA!" He started laughing.

"You do not learn it with you mind. You learn it with your soul," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"Silence! You are making it harder. You must believe, and then you will know, the move," he said.

"But I-" I said before he cut me off.

"NO! ENOUGH!" he roared. The ground shook and the lava rushed. The room was set in flames. "Be quiet or it will not be possible!" I decided to follow his request. I calmed myself and stayed silent. "Now close your eyes… Access your dream world… Count to 8." I knew where this was going. I counted to 8 slowly and felt light again. I floated up below a flame. I saw Moltres's face in it. His beak came close and he turned me around. He faced my V seal. I felt a small, not painful poke. It was very hot, but not burning hot. I felt a little ember enter it and my seal turned a bright red. It quickly calmed down however. I felt myself fall back down to earth.

"The deed is done!" Moltres pronounced. "How do you feel, Zach Regaldi?" he asked.

"I feel… hot… as if I was in a sauna excluding the one I'm in right now," I said.

"Yessss… Now use your fire punch, but use it from the heart!" he demanded. I calmed down and charged a fire punch. I channeled energy from my spike, and soon the V seal flared up. I used fire-punch and I amazed myself. My blade launched out and caused such a large flame followed where I had swung. It covered half the room in the arc I traveled in. I was amazed. I knew how useful this was, but it was only for emergencies.

"Thank you. Mr. Moltres," I said.

"You do not have to thank me. Thank yourself," he said. I didn't understand, but I knew it was best not to argue with a bird of the flames. I said goodbye and Victini teleported me back home. It was the right time and I was just in time for when my parents got back.

"Victini, thanks for that. That's not even a once in a life time experience. That's something that never happens on a regular occasion," I said.

"You do not have to mention it. Maybe in the future I could do other works with you in the lava pocket, but later. Magcargo Sanctuary does not like frequent visitors from the outside," he said. I understood as my parents saw me eating a bowl of chips.

"Hi honey. How was your day?" mom asked.

"Just fine," I said.

"No fights?" dad asked.

"No," I said. He nodded. Ever since the fight with the Rhypherior they seemed to be a bit more concerned about me. I didn't know why, but it did concern me for the most part. I was looking forward for Brian when he was going to stay over for the night. It doesn't happen much, but when it does, we have a lot of fun.

….

After dinner Brian came over and greeted us all. We were all happy and he got a fake fill in of what "happened" at school. I told him that at 11:00 I want to talk with him outside in the secret bunker we had built. It was an underground stone house completely hidden that we could. I even got snapshots of Moltres to show to Brian using a special camera. Moltres said it was fine as long as I didn't use it widespread. I watched the clock anxiously until 11:00. I rushed outside where I saw the swings. I hopped left swing and swung on it for a while. When it was just right, I hopped onto the top of the swing pole. I picked up the swing seat and threw it down. It spun around 3 times and then the door to the bunker slightly jerked open. Enough to pry it open. I did so to see Brian indoors watching a TV show.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"Nothing. How long have you been here?" I asked.

"About thirty minutes," he said. He put down a bowl of popcorn. "So what's so important?"

"Have you heard of legendary pokemon? Excluding Victini that is," I said.

"Yeah there's a few. I've heard of like legendary birds. Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos," he answered.

"Well apparently, Victini knew a Moltres," I told him.

"What!" he asked surprised.

"I'm not kidding. You know the Slugma Volcano?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I managed to get in and he led me to a secret path. It led to the Magcargo Sanctuary," I said sa I pulled out pictures of the place.

"Holy shit! This is incredible! Where is this?" he asked.

"Under a super hard layer of rock. Completely hidden from man-kind. Every single known fire type in existence is in that cave," I answered.

"So that means Moltres is there?" he asked.

"Yes. I met a Moltres. He taught me a move that only I could since I had the V seal," I answered him. "Flame Fury." I charged up a Fire punch and took the energy from my heart. I released and made the gigantic inferno punch appear in front.

"Woah!" Brian yelled out.

"No joke. That's what he taught me. I even got pictures of Moltres," I told him. I showed him the pictures. He was amazed at all this. Afterwards he went up and so did I. I needed some sleep after such an exciting day. I was ready to completely go out.

….

So yeah this chapter took a while, but I mostly rushed it through one whole night/morning. Plus after this there is going to be some filler more like. Not quite as much serious plot progression.

For the most part I have other stories to work on before I can get to chapter 4, so just bear with me as I try to work this all out.

Chapter 6 of Demoknight is on my list, and then I have chapter 4 of NRT.

That's all folks.

Remember to leave a review if you have any advice or if you want to leave a friendly comment. Or you can add this story to your alert or favorites list whenever a new chapter premiers. Check into my homepage for further updates.

~DTH~


	4. Chapter 4, Gossip

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokemon Fanfiction. Chapter 4, Gossip

Autuhor's Nose (Or Author's Note in case if anyone doesn't get the reference): Uncyclopedia, which is like online encyclopedia, like wikiped, said I had been getting more views recently, but I dontn know hwat they was talking but about, but saw I had more views.

Translated:

Author's Note: I didn't realize I had gotten more views for this story, and it is starting to apparently be a bit more popular. Not too much; this story is still not completely popular; but more popular in general. The reference above is from DJY1991's Quarter Life: Halfway To Destruction.

This chapter is probably going to be a bit more important than other chapters to come for a while. The timespan of chapters to follow will be long, instead of 2-3 days per chapter, they will have 7. Also, it is the end of my typing rush. Enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the pokemon franchise.**

….

The next day was a little exciting. I could fight, but it wouldn't be the easiest job in the world. It would be a bit tricky to fight with a sore arm and various other appendages that were also sore. I decided that I was going to be a bit more upbeat today then previous days. I had the will for it this time, and plus I had a lot more confidence in me. Of course, I couldn't use my newly acquired skills.

The bus ride there seemed fairly regular. People asked why I wasn't here yesterday. I told them that I had gotten an OSS for punching Mr. Endire like always. I didn't know how battle class was going to go today. I knew there was going to be serious tension between me and Mr. Endire; it was going to be un-avoidable. However, I would at least be able to do something. I wasn't worn out as hell today. I was going to control myself too; no random outbursts of violence. I had learned calm mind, which helped a lot in any tense situations.

I felt quite confident today. Kyle seemed a bit more silent than usual. He often liked to blurt on randomly about his video games, and typically liked to talk to Matt and others like Zach. He seemed fairly concerned, and was probably pondering. I decided to ask him.

"Why so silent?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking," he said.

"Is it something bad or good?" I asked.

"Just leave me alone. You're not going to get anything out of talking to me," he said.

"Fine then," I said, and then left him alone. He seemed pretty grumpy and not in a mood to negotiate. I didn't count on him cheering up by history and science.

Homeroom was a bit more significant than usual. There is an hour of it total, and it's usually a very serious study hall, or a time to get to meet with friends. However, every now and then, there was a free day. It was spent usually by playing some games provided by the teachers, or they are team-wise. As for the activity going on today, there was going to be a game of Dodgeball for the bi-peds. As for quadri-peds, they would be doing a sort of soccer game. It was their equivalent of dodgeball. I wasn't sure how well I would fair against others at dodgeball. We weren't allowed to use moves, no matter what, unless someone was incapable of tossing the ball without their powers.

I decided to give it my best shot. The sides were decided by which homeroom we were in. Kyle was not on my team, but John the Fearow was. Jake was also on my team, and Alexis was on the other side. I decided to be funny and prioritize specific targets. I've been here long enough to know who's a threat and who isn't. There's a small percentage who stay up front trying to fight. The majority stick in the back waiting for a good opportunity to come up, or just to talk in the back of the crowd; when they are usually safe. If the match somehow starts to have a winner, the losing side will only have the people that were back safe. They're usually not too good, but that's at throwing. I've seen people dodge for a minute when they're the last one left. Not to mention, it seemed that the teams were off balance. Judging by the players, they had about 12 really good players. We had about 8. I knew it wasn't going to be easy.

It started off by a full on frontal charge. Only one kid reached the balls before I did. He picked it up and immediately threw it. He was very athletic. His name was Chris Marter. I managed to make a quick jerk in the other direction to avoid it. I saw an HVI in the swarm rushing up. I aimed right, threw hard, and released the ball. He didn't see it coming at all and was hit directly.

"Nice shot by Mr. Regaldi," Mr. R said. He was an academic teacher on the team, and helped at the gym. Everyone really liked him, but I didn't have him as my academic. The match continued at a fairly slow pace. People were mainly dodging. I thought 'this sucks. I want this to go forward; not backwards'. So I ran up straight. I saw the strongest hitter aiming for me. He chucked the ball as hard as he could. It was going at least 30 miles an hour. I moved my body out of the way, but it didn't stop there. I reached my arms out and plucked the ball out of thin air.

"Incredible catch!" Mr. R said once more. He yelled out, quite mad, and left the line. I saw a kid charging at me. He was fairly good, but was really good at dodging. He let the ball loose. I propelled myself with a strong thrust of the ground. The ball flew under me. I still had the ball I caught and saw Alexis trying to do something in the crowd. I decided to leave her for later. She was just sort of there if you looked at the crowd. I saw Eric from the group rush at me really fast. I picked up the ball and deflected the one that was thrown at me. He gasped as I then countered with a super speed ball. It him in the chest and moved him a bit. Mr. R announced that along with many other things going on at the same time.

Then came a kid named Jack Michael. He was the big, tall Infernape towering over many of the crowd. He had a strong hand, and was good at dodging. He had 2 people handing balls off to him. It was like a video game I had played. It was a simple concept. Jack was the powerhouse. He could easily mow down the room. But he doesn't have much to run off of. There's a rough competition to get balls. So two of his friends scout out balls for him while he sits in the back. If he, or one of the scouts, gets a ball, he will run up and most likely hit with deadly accuracy. I saw the scout, who was a Furrett. Small, but easy to pick off. I saw him running amok. A second ball was at my feet. I threw the ball as a lure for him to run towards. Not realizing, he ran towards it zealously, only to get pegged by a second ball that was thrown by me. He realized he was tricked.

It would be taking Jack much more time, but he was still getting balls at a steady rate. I had to pick off the other scout too. He was a much more bulky target. As a Dodrio, the three heads could easily spot any competition. I ran behind lines and saw John and Jake conversing. They were catching any fly balls that came back there.

"Hey Jake, John, I need your help," I said.

"What do you need us for?" John asked.

"It's to take down Jack Michael. I need you two to target the Dodrio. However, it won't work. You need to lob balls around his area. I will do so too. If I'm right, he should get distracted and that will leave him wide open," I said.

"Why do we need to take down the Dodrio?" Jake asked.

"He's supplying Jack with balls. He's too risky to attack full-on, so I'm thinking I can lob into his safe spot. But with people supplying him, I can't get a chance to hit him when he's benched. So I took out one of his suppliers, but the Dodrio is the other one. Can you do it?" I asked them. They nodded. We all got balls and chucked them around the Dodrio. Sure enough, the heads were split on which one to pick up. I seized the opportunity, take a ball Jake had given me, and hit him with once again, deadly accuracy. In the center head.

Jack knew all too well that I had figured him out. But he didn't know that I was going to lob him. He was one of the tallest figures in the playing ground. After he threw his ball, and his last, he went back to his usual spot. I had one friend guarding me with a ball of his own. I calculated the distance, the drop, and how hard I was going to throw it. I aimed it just right.

The next thing that Mr. R saw was a ball flying midair across the field. It seemed like a blind throw, but he realized that it was no mistake. It was aimed perfectly, and it struck Jack Michael straight in the head. Jack didn't know what hit him, and he argued with the teachers until they pretty much forced him out. I made a motion that meant, 'another one bites the dust'. I knew sign language, so it was easy to make the words out. Mr. R had saw me, and was almost taken back at how accurate the throw was.

The dodgeball match continued on fairly quick. Since my rampage, people had been getting out on both sides. Only ours more quickly. As soon as I knew it, there were 4 people left on the other side, and one person on my side. Me, versus four of the best.

I thought Alexis was just a bystander; turns out she's fairly good at dodgeball. Roughly 3 hits, and 4 catches. Some close calls, but she hasn't been out for the entire match.

Then there was Chris Marter accompanying her. He was a Nidoking. He was really fast for his size, and was a renowned sprinter. That's why he had reached the ball so quickly at the start. He was a good shot, and had only gotten out once in the entire mess.

Then there was Max Colebaugh. He had 2 sisters, who were both older than him. He had grown up constantly picked on, which made him tough as nails. He was one of the most athletic kids in the school. He hadn't been out the whole thing.

And Kyle was left out of the 4. He looked pretty serious, like on the bus, and he wasn't any regular old kid. With 8 hits and 5 catches, he was doing really well out there. I wasn't keeping too much count; as I mainly got the stats afterwards.

It was 4 of them all on me. I knew this was going to be serious, and there was pretty much no hope for me. Everyone was thinking "No! My team lost!" I had an urge to show them that I was no regular player. I had 4 balls near me, so I would have to make the most of them. There were several balls scattered around the area, but Max and Kyle both had ones. Alexis and Chris looked ready to counter whatever was coming their way. I found one clever way through. I kicked two balls into the air. One was heading straight upwards, and the other was heading in Chris's way. Chris chased after it, unconcerned his team was about to be wrecked. Kyle went to catch the second one that was popped up. Max went to watch his back. I aimed it just right, and I launched a third ball to into the air. It came down just before Kyle would have caught it. The balls bounced off each other. One went off and smacked Chris right in the head. The other was unexpectedly aimed towards Max. They had both been pegged in the head, and they were both out. I picked up the forth ball and rolled it onto their side. They looked odd, but Kyle went and picked it up. He wasn't taking this one lying down.

He made the mistake at charging at me. He launched the ball straight at my stomach. I took immediate action and caught it millimeters away from my chest. He was awestruck. I threw the ball behind me. Now it was just Alexis. She looked un-amused, and I could tell this would be the final battle. She was very good at dodging, and was very smart with her tactics. I kept one ball close behind my feet. She had one in her hands. She brought a second one near her. She threw the first one above my head to try and make me catch it. However, it was going to go haywire and spin out of the way. It would go straight upwards and miss me. So I was going to play along and pretend to try and catch it. I jumped and she missed, but I was carrying a single ball on the back of my foot. She took the second one and launched at me with great accuracy. I flipped my ball around my foot and threw it upwards to redirect the ball. It was popped up into the air. I knew how easy the catch was, and so I caught it nonchalantly.

Everyone did not believe what they saw. 4 to 1, all really good players, had been beaten by the new kid. I felt a sense of self-pride when I had caught the ball. And everyone was amazed. Mr. R had nothing to say, along with most people. Some people talked behind my back, and I knew that those must have been some sort of rumorous speech. I walked towards the door when my team came to congratulate me. They picked me up and brought me along the hallway. I told them to let me down since I needed water. Being a mastermind can really wear someone out, especially when they are being extra-physical with it too. I was proud of myself, and Kyle soon came to approach me.

"Dude!" he exclaimed. "How the hell are you that good?"

"It's all mind tricks. Fast thinking, and physical ability will do it all," I told him.

"Hell, I would never be able to think in half a second. How do you do it?" he asked.

"I'm just good at making split second decisions," I replied. He pestered me a bit more, but he eventually decided to leave me alone. Not long after, I ran into Alexis when I needed to get some more water.

"It's insane how you processed all that," she said.

"It's not as easy as it looks…" I groaned.

"But could you imagine in what situations you could use that? You picked off the entire team excluding me in 3 seconds!" she exclaimed.

"I wasn't counting," I shrugged.

"I was. You had gotten 17 hits and caught 9 balls," she told me. What the hell? Why was she keeping score? The numbers surprised me too. I didn't know I was being that much of a machine. It amazed, and sort of unnerved me.

The sheer fact that she had counted each shot I got was weird. It made me remember why I was always so cautious around her.

"Why is this such a big deal? It's just a game," I said.

"Wait a second, you come from a private school right?" she asked.

"Yeah?" I questioned.

"Ugh, now it makes much more sense! Private schools don't have any sports teams. This school has a dodgeball team for each grade. They have the best dodgeball players for their grade. It's very competitive. So much that it really is big to the teams when they have their homeroom dodgeball matches," she said. Competitive dodgeball. I almost laughed… It is pretty big though I guess. But in the private school, I was just as good as everyone else at dodgeball. It was only for fun, and we had been really good at it. I know that private schools have much higher standards, but I guess those standards were way over charted. If I am a really good dodgeball player at this school, I'm only an average at my old private school.

"Hey, where do you sign up for the competitive dodgeball?" I asked.

"You sign up for it at the office, and you need a physical. I know you're in the ABC, so that's already taken care of," she said.

"How do you know I'm in the ABC?" I asked. I started feeling like my personal privacy is being invaded.

"John told me," she said. I always get split over the name.

"This is John McCormick, right?" I asked.

"No, John Johnson. He's a Blaziken," she said.

"Yeah, we're best friends. It's just I know you see John McCormick much more," I said. McCormick was the Fearow.

"Well, how often do I see John McCormick? Huh?" she said. She was instigating me. She thought I was implying that they were together. In a way, I was just experimenting. If she was, then I had nothing to worry about. If not, then fuck. That raises my suspicion even HIGHER.

Just by her answer I knew that they weren't together. They do meet each other a lot, but I guess not.

"Oh nothing… How do you know John Johnson?" I asked.

"My dad is friends with their dad. I got to know her sister fairly well. She has a boyfriend," she noted.

"God! I feel like this entire thing is some sort of coincidence…" I said.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"I know John McCormick since my dad knows his dad, and we got to know each other well. Not only that, but John Johnson's sister, is in a relationship, with my brother!" I said.

"What!" she asked, quite shocked.

"My brother's known her since he was 6 years old. They were always friends, but some time in middle school they hooked up," I said.

"Wow… I never realized that. Who is your brother?" she asked.

"His name is Brian Regaldi… He's a shiny Gallade," I said. She nodded.

"Say, um… Can I ask you a private question?" she asked. Uh oh. I didn't like where this was going. To be polite, I did respond.

"Yes… But I will only answer depending on the question," I warned.

"Okay… So… Just to know you better but, who would you want to… you know…" she started at.

"What?" I asked. I was getting thrown off.

"Well, get together with?" she asked. I understood. I didn't want to turn her down if she like me, but I needed to get the truth out.

"No one. I just got here, really," I said. "How about I ask you the same question."

"What! Umm… No one! No one at all," she said nervously. I smirked.

"Come on. It's obvious. I'm a friend, you can trust me. Who is it?" I asked. I was interrogating her. I was confident it wasn't me.

"Well… I kind of like Jake, and John McCormick too," she said.

"That's all I need to know. You can rely on me; I won't tell anyone," I assured. Be polite at least.

"Thank you… Shake on it?" she asked. No idea why, but I thought, 'eh, why the hell not?' I shook her hand, got some water and returned to homeroom. I had some good feeling in me. Maybe not a ton, due to Alexis's actions, but the fact that I had saved our team, and had gained an immense amount of popularity, I felt happy.

"You're happy now. Why is that? What did Alexis say?" Vic asked in my mind.

"Nothing. She likes some other guys," I said. Vic seemed pleased with that.

"You're very smart. I could tell that the seal had granted you some quick-thinking powers," Vic said.

"To an extent yes. I always had some quick-wit in me, and the seal enhanced that," I replied.

"I also can sense some mixed feelings towards Alexis. Can you break those down?" he asked.

"I don't like her. She's just odd to me. She doesn't seem to regular, and always sort of masking something. Sure she told me a secret, but afterwards she still seemed somewhat nervous," I said.

"Anything is possible," Vic said.

"For once, I hope you're wrong," I said. I sighed and slowed my pace as I walked back to my room.

….

I went through academic fairly regularly. I almost had a routine of talking to some friends, maybe answer some questions here and there, and do whatever the teacher directed us to do. It was almost like I found myself doing the same routine time after time. It almost became boring…

At least my friends were there to cheer it up. There was a group of three I like to talk to. That was Nihar, Jake, and Alexis. Typically I would talk with Nihar the most. We generally were good friends and had very similar interests in school. Good grades, little drama, and high focus. We liked to work together and made a dynamic duo. He wasn't as popular as other kids, but still liked amongst the crowd.

Jake I talked to often, but not as much as I would to Nihar. We had very similar comedic interests. We liked a lot of videos and music that were the same. He was into sort of electronic-type of music, and so was I. Throw in some rock, and you have the music that we like to listen to. I have a portable music player, like an iPod, which I never use. I almost never think about it unless there's a need for it, or we're going on a vacation. He has a less pricey version. My parents have unlimited amounts of money after all. It still works well, but has a smaller library. He introduced me to some neat music that I started to gain a liking for. I heard that he and his friends (which also meant Alexis) liked to play this over the audio function. They all liked to listen to the same music. I knew that they were friendly to me, and I generally liked to hang out with them.

That doesn't make Alexis any the same. She was still someone that blocked the way. Sure, we held friendly conversations from time to time. But when she told me her secret, she seemed slightly more cautious around me. I could factor that out. You always act differently towards people that know something important to you. I had no love interests what so ever, so I didn't mind sharing too much personal things. Of course, there is always a few things that are locked in an ever-present mental lock-and-key. I've never shared the truth to anyone about some of the darkest secrets I hold.

I didn't expect battle class to go smoothly. Of course Mr. Endire avoided me as much as possible. I ignored him and simply kept up with his rough regime. That said, if he ignored what I had done to him, he probably would like me a lot more than he did right there. In exercises, I was often flawless with execution, and would almost never fail whenever he imposed a daunting task. In fact, he started at times to purposely raise the challenge to see how far he could push me. This was over time of course.

I started becoming some sort of celebrity of the physical field. Me taking on 4 of the best dodge ball players in my grade, _and winning_, was unheard of, and plus I was passing all A's in the class. Not a single downgrading mark on my report card; however as far as social goes, I'm sure Mr. Endire wants all he can do to downgrade me to an F. I know he has a deep hatred for me deep down. His eyes say that.

"Why are you so mean to Mr. Endire?" the ever present voice in my head asked. It wasn't easy, especially since it distracted me a lot, but I could talk to him without talking out loud.

"It's just something about him really just makes me glaze over on the inside. He doesn't seem very friendly to me, and is much kinder and open to the other students, aside from his harshness," I said to him.

"Look up!" he yelled out. We were doing very quick dodging exercises, and he was shooting balls. I saw at the last second. I tried to jerk my head, but it nudged me enough to alter the trajectory. "Keep your eyes peeled," he said coldly.

"Not right now. It's distracting to telepathize," I said, while focusing while prepared for the next shot. That one I managed to dodge flawlessly, along with the next 3 that followed it. As much as he hated me, he knew that I was a good student. I just hope that he could see that I'm not trying to make enemies. Everyone has them, and there's always one person that just makes everyone fucking mad on the inside. Regardless of who they are, where they are, and what they're doing.

That set aside, Kyle was in a brighter mood today. He looked somewhat more cheerful on the bus, and was back to the regular old, swearing, perverted, controversial friend that I know. Even though he is a dark type, and he's a very popular kid, people really avoid him. It's because of the whole dark legion thing that he seems dangerous, but I know he's just a regular kid that's doing all he would regularly do. I started to see that he was fitting in, but he's also a very naughty kid in the end. I've seen him do reports where he copy and pastes all the information (plagiarism). He also puts little effort, and will often miss homework assignments, and will even skip school from time to time. He is following the path of some other kids that I know, but he isn't as nearly bad as some of the others…

The class was more brutal than ever with more terms, people, and places to learn. I see him peek over at my paper from time to time. I try to cover it with my hand, and will jerk it in order to prevent him from seeing what I wrote. He also looks at the kids in front of us to steal their answers. Sure, it bugged me, but I just ignored it. On the outside, he was a jerk, and I felt like I needed a person to spit in my face, even if that made any sense whatsoever. He was still friendly, but he didn't know too much about empathy.

I think the most offsetting thing about him is that he invades my privacy a bit too much. He's constantly interrogated me about certain things I'm not willing to share. I always deny the request and work on whatever I was doing.

Lunch wasn't bad either. It was a typical conversation with me and Nihar. Some kids at the table were being jerks. They would rag on everyone, and would try to steal food. I decided to intervene once I had enough. That was when they tried to take my food.

I was eating a sandwich with some prime cuts in it from a Miltank. There were some vegetables and fine grown wheat bread. I needed to get a napkin since I had gotten ketchup on my shirt. When I came back I saw one of them about to take a bite out of my sandwich.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing? You can't eat that!" I yelled out.

"Why not?" he pestered.

"Because it's mine, not yours. You know, you can't just eat anything at the table. You have your food, I have mine!" I said.

"Yeah… Quit stealing all of it!" said a kid on the other side of the table.

"You can't get us out of here. Whether you like it or not," one of the annoyances said.

"Get lost pal', no one wants you here," Nihar said.

"No!" they argued back.

"C'mon, you're a bunch of dicks that are just stubborn and won't eat what they have. If you can't live with your own food, I suggest asking your parents for your own selections for a change," I said.

"But our lunches our shit! None of it is good!" they argued.

"Are you kidding me? You have a full lunchbox!" one kid said.

"Yeah, and you have 5 dollars with you," Nihar noted.

"Go bother someone else. It's not going down here," I said.

"Oh it is. And you can't stop us," they replied.

"Maybe I can't. But the teachers will," I said with a smart smile. They knew what that meant. They grunted and left the table. I sat down and went back to eating my lunch now that they had left. I felt good, and Nihar thanked me for what I did. I said 'no problem' and just happily ate on.

I didn't want to get into a fight, but if one was going to happen, I was at least prepared for it. I wasn't crippled out. Some other kids joined us in our regular group, and the crowd wasn't as large today. John Johnson was there, along with everyone else. We were holding a conversation that sounded very much like gossiping. A lot of dirt was being spread, most of it offensive. A few amounts of it were generally just like, 'did he really do that?' or 'I can't believe she did this!' I had no part in it, so I didn't really chime in if I wasn't needed. They talked a lot on how I had aced the dodge ball match, and were suggesting me to go onto the dodge ball team. I wasn't sure, but I guess I would try out. It wouldn't hurt not to.

Though things got a little holed up when John the Blaziken and I were talking afterwards.

"Sooo… Is it true?" he said after a conversation.

"Is what true?" I asked.

"You know what I'm saying," he smirked.

"No I don't…" I started. I was confused.

"Oh come on! How do you not know?" he questioned.

"Whatever you're getting at, I have no idea what the hell it is," I said.

"Wow, they _do _have a good job at keeping it secret!" he remarked.

"Keeping what secret?" I asked. I had a raised eyebrow throughout the entire conversation.

"What the hell is he doing?" Vic questioned.

"Not now!" I telepathized to him.

"How the fuck are you doing that!" he exclaimed.

"Doing what?" I asked. "You're really losing me."

"Your eyebrow! One is like up and the other is down," he noted.

"I've always been able to do that," I said. He looked at it amazed. I showed off a bit, since I was also confused as hell with what he was doing.

"So yeah, about you and Alexis…" he started.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you really… dating?" he asked. That steamed me.

"No! God… I feel like everyone is thinking that…" he said.

"Sorry! It's just been popping up. A lot of kids are wondering. After all you are really smart, fair, good at fighting, and a dodge ball champ. You can't think that isn't _a little_ attractive to girls," he noted.

"That may be so, but there is nothing between us! Spread that far and wide my friend," I ordered.

"Sure thing. I'll clear up your name for you. Don't worry," he said.

"Thanks, I'll see you at the football game tonight," he said.

"Yeah, same," I said. The 4 of us, Dan Macchia, John McCormick, Jake, and I were all meeting at the football field for a game. All of our relatives are in a musical band that plays before each match. We thought it would be a good way to all get together. So that was what we were doing.

….

POV switch to… Well, you'll know.

….

I was going to meet the girls at the football stadium. My parents always work there, so we manage to get free tickets each time. It was our school vs. the other country champions. It was an important starter game.

For a girl most people don't expect me to be serious about football. It's because my dad is a rigorous football fan, and I grew up watching football in his lap. When I evolved, I started becoming more interested in sports, and found that when I evolved once more, I would tag along with mom whenever she would go to the gym. I played girls' softball, and I was ranked fairly high. I was somewhat modest, as I tried to push myself a lot harder. I know some friends like Megan and Sandra are on the team, and they typically do as good of a job as I do. The coach favored us, and would often put us in the front of the line-up.

I had learned most football terms from my dad, but I only paid ½ attention to the game since I was either talking with my friends or anyone that walked by. We talked mostly about drama. Jake was said he was going to be here with some friends. Same with John McCormick. If I saw them, I would just say, and maybe start a little conversation. Of course I would stick with my group.

We were having some fries just when our home team scored a touchdown. I cheered and decided to get a soda from my mom and dad. However, I saw a crowd start to gather. It was mainly a group of kids in the bleachers but I saw that it the crowd started to move. They stopped for a second, and then disbanded. I decided to just ignored it and get my soda. My dad gave me it along with some more ketchup for the fries. The crowd starting getting rowdy when the kick off was starting. The diehard fans that were out there with their faces painted and flags out were going nuts. When the quarterback kicked the ball, they fell silent, and started cheering when the ball was caught. The band played their usual symphony when the ball was picked up. They kept playing until it the play was over. The opposing team didn't get too far, and was probably going to have a rough time getting forward.

That said, I started losing focus. There was too much cheering and my friends were constantly trying to talk to me. I was trying to look for the crowd that had joined together mysteriously and then disbanded. I was trying to look for either Jake or John at the same time. I just wanted make sure to know where they were. They said they were bringing two friends along. They will vary with who they choose, because their parents only supply them with 4 tickets. However I found a member that I didn't expect to be here. I was interested why he had come here. I told the girls to stay back, and I was going to greet him. He looked like he was running.

He was running really fast. I soon saw he was focused and trying to run around the field several times. I decided to let him run around. He was agile, and he had beaten me and others in a dodge ball game. He was essentially carrying their team in our team match, and he had beaten the best players with sheer tactics, and quick thinking. I asked him about and he said he's almost always had it in him. He acts very paranoid though. I told him about my crush on Jake and John, just to make sure that he didn't have a crush on me. I thought he wasn't really my type. He was incredibly energetic, extremely modest, and tries to avoid the popular crowd in a way. He also acts very odd; not like you'd expect a red Gallade to act. He wasn't flaunting his color; in fact he seemed like he wanted to reject. He wasn't a kid that liked to be in the popular crowd a lot, and it was clear. But he never got out of the crowd.

I thought Zach was a nice kid, but a troubled one at the same time. He looked busy and focused most of the time, and he would often be serious in his conversations. I've seen a few joking instances, and he also gets along well with most kids I see. Even that jerk, Kyle, is friendly to him, and he just sort of ignores it. I don't know if he's concerned about him. I know there's something deep down about Kyle that bugs him.

Since his fight with Tucker; he's been extremely roughed up and a bit more cautious. He even pauses at times and loses complete focus of what he's doing. He has persistence, but no one could help but feel like punching Mr. Endire in the face after he had endured what he was trying to do. The fact that Tucker was also a Dark Legion must really have unnerved him. He wasn't quite the same to Kyle after that fight. Kyle also seemed a little more down since then.

Not to say, he's quite the athlete. I've seen him run through the hall not even tiring out. I assumed that was part of the purpose he was running around the field at 12 miles per hour. I even saw him jump over a fence that blocked his path with ease. He was running really fast around the field and he wasn't stopping. He passed both bleachers and kept running.

"Alexis?" Megan asked. "Alexis what are you doing?" she pestered. For a Vaporeon, she could be quite impatient. Even if they didn't have the most positive of dispositions.

"Nothing. I need to go to the bathroom, can you hold my stuff?" I asked. I didn't really need to. I was just going to ask what Zach was doing here just running constant laps around the field. He was already done his third by the time I went to go. He had just ran around the home team bleachers. I was on the other side, so I got into a natural looking position by the time he came running by. He was just turning the corner. When he started making the footsteps louder I turned my head to see what was the source. I saw it was Zach, but his eyes seemed completely locked. He was looking straight ahead.

"Hey! Zach?" I asked. He ran a bit more so I thought I really had to get his attention. "Zach!" I called out. He ran for a second more and then I guess something snapped inside of him. He jerked his head out of the position and he put his foot forward. He was slowing himself, since he was going at least 15 miles an hour.

"Who said that?" he asked. He was looking around.

I ran up to him and said, "Over here."

"Oh. You were that voice. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just here with some of my friends. We always come to football games. How about you?" I asked.

"If I ever have the chance I like to come here. Jake, John, and Dan all invited me to come, so I went with them. Plus, my brother is in the band. He drives me home if I ever come here. It's only 2 miles from my house," he answered.

"2 miles? How are you still running endless laps?" I asked amazed. How is that possible if he's running at 15 miles an hour, and he just ran 2 miles to get here.

"I just have endurance. Well, I'm going to keep running," she said.

"Wait!" I called out. I wanted to know something. "Where are they sitting?"

"Who?" he asked back.

"You know, Jake and John?" I asked. I did want to see them. He nodded.

"They're in the top row of the bleachers in the middle-right. They always like the top side," he answered. He ran off after he answered. I smiled. I decided to pay them a visit after I saw Zach. Something was definitely off about him. I think he knows it.

….

POV back to Zach.

….

After running about 30 laps at a constant 15 miles an hour, I felt that my legs were about to give way. Of course, I had almost made a monotonous path for my legs to run. After a bit I started to talk to Vic about stuff. I ran into Alexis, and a few other kids I knew. They held a little conversation, but Alexis wanted to get to me to know where Jake and the others were. I told her and kept running. After the match was over, our team had won 31 to 11. It was a great victory, and a reassuring one at that. I could tell that the coach was pleased with what they had done, and he praised the team.

I met up with Brian afterwards. We always jog a bit before we sprint home. If we wanted a competitive sprint, we would typically run at 20-30 miles an hour. I usually won but not by much. He was good at running, and had just as much endurance as I had. My parents say it comes from Dad, who was an expert athlete when he was our age. I talked to him a bit on my general adventures on what happened on the field. Since no one was around I could talk to him about Vic and the V seal. After we had stopped by Alexis, Vic started interrogating me on Alexis. I wasn't mentioning her to Brian, as I didn't want him to get any funny ideas. I just asked him where he was going afterwards. He wanted run home with me, and then he would jog off to his apartment.

Compared to other kids, my parents didn't give a living fuck about where we went each day. They often just turned me and my brother loose after dinner unless we had homework. Otherwise, they pretty much forced us to do our homework. Me and my brother didn't argue, and we certainly didn't want to. Dad was extremely frightening when he was mad, and was very good at intimidating people. He looked like a class A drill sergeant. I wanted to get some rest tonight, so I wasn't going to competitively race home. Only a light 9 mph this time around. I talked in my mind with Vic while setting myself into auto-pilot. It was some sort of technique I had picked up on when I first started telepathizing through my mind to talk with Vic. We talked about everything generally that day. We already started planning a return trip to the Lava Sanctuary. Since I had been there once and earned the trust of Moltres, he said it was okay to teleport me there, but it tired him out and it made us both nauseous. That's what he warned, so I had to agree before I could do it on the weekends. I also asked if Brian could come along. He was unsure; as he would have to gain authorization from Moltres. He was essentially the overlord of the Magcargo sanctuary. Vic said he was in a way, his right hand man, and often complicated. I asked how long he was alive, and he said over 500 years old. Half as long as we have known intelligent life to exist.

I wanted to do more mythical research, so I snuck back down to get on the computer to look up some more information on these legendary pokemon. I wanted to see if Vic new anymore legendaries. That said, he mentioned that every fire pokemon lived in the sanctuary. I would look specifically for legendary fire types. I knew it wasn't safe to talk aloud, so I had to telepathize, which almost completely distracted me.

"Hey Vic, you mentioned that all fire types live in the Magcargo Sanctuary, right?" I asked.

"Yes. Even the mythical legendary ones do. Moltres is the owner as you know," he answered.

"If I got clearance from Moltres, would I be able to see any other legendary fire types?" I asked.

He shrugged and said, "Maybe. It would be a longshot, but possible. I would have to talk awhile. Make sure it's on a weekend and you've set up a good date to go out, because you will be gone for the entire day," he warned.

"I'll think of something. For the moment, I found one pokemon in the sanctuary that I would like to meet," he said.

"Now that I think of it, it could even be months until I get to even let you through. Plus teleporting you here would be a pain," I said.

"After this I don't plan a return trip for a long time. I just want to get to know the general layout of the sanctuary and some of the special things that live there," I told him.

"Well, I can trust you. I'll have to talk with Moltres," he said. I thanked him and pulled up a page on the computer. It listed 3 names, and it reminded me of the page with the legendary birds on it.

"Ah I see. The legendary dogs," he said. "There is an Entei." I smiled at the remark.

"On the off chance, do you know where the other sort of legendaries are?" I asked.

"You mean the other dogs and birds?" he asked back.

"Yeah. Articuno, Zapdos, Suicune, and Raikou," I answered.

"I only know one thing. A giant storm cloud that hovers across the world or an ocean contains the most massive, violent storm elements in it. Inside the cloud rests a Raikou. I don't know when or where the cloud is, but if it is there, Raikou will follow," he said.

"Come to think of it, there has been notings that a gigantic storm that has caused floods and fires has spun around the coast. Is there a chance that it could some in land?" I asked.

"Look up a weather site. I have no clue," I said. I knew a weather site that used Drifloons and Drifblims to analyze the weather patterns. They were very reliable. I got up the site and saw the world map. I clicked on a filter button that said 'storm masses'. This was to show any large storms that were clustered over an area. Sure enough off the west coast was the biggest mass.

"That would be Raikou's cloud," Vic said, as I looked over the mass. It had no predictions of where it would move though. However, the west coast was on the other side of the continent. I was in the main land, about 279 miles away from the barricade that divided the Dark Legion and the Avengers. Our continent wasn't big, but not small either. Average sized, but one big island. It was shaped in sort of an F shape, in where the two top lines connected together, a large land mass was attached to the front and back, in which those masses were big polygons that were shaped like squares with dents coming out and with the edges rounded. The Avengers and Dark Legion had their fair shares, but we had the most land in the end. They had the left side of the F, while we had the right. I was in a city that was clustered near the heart of the battle. That's why our hospitals are huge and why there are about 4 of them in our area.

"Hm. I'm seeing estimates that it is going to run off shore and then head south. I'm guessing it's going to hug the bottom coast. I've learned a lot about weather, so can you just hold on a sec. I'm going to predict a pattern," I told Vic. He understood and let me do what I was going to do. I pulled up a program that I had bought with some spare money. It seemed like a regular old weather simulator, but I found a way to tweak with it so that it was more accurate than a weather radar. I set up all the currents, land masses, and even humidity, cities, and everything that would affect it. After 20 minutes of setting the stage, I created a storm. I saw the shape of it on the radar. I knew it was unstable, strong, and hostile. I told it to create lightning, rain, and slight tornadoes. I clarified that it was not a hurricane, set instability, and let it run its course.

I saw it run off shore out for a bit. Then it started creeping in shore, and started hugging the coastline. Only the edge of it was going around the tip, which meant that it was not over land. However, after it rounded the corner, it started heading in towards a well-known city. Hontia is a densely populated city with much culture and a lot of movie stars living there. It has a warm climate, with small storms, and fair rain. It was also a good spot for farmers, as it contained much good soil and weather for growing crops. Sure enough, the storm started to hone in on Hontia. I saw it run over it. I checked the time. I had set the time to Day 0: Month 0: Time 0:. When I checked it now, it said Day 18: Month 2: Time 2:39. That was just when the storm would start pulling in. At 2:40, December, the 19th. If I wanted to see a Raikou, I would have to go then to see one. 3 months away, so it would be a long wait. But from the 16th to the 23rd, we were on vacation because of holiday. I know what I had to. My parents like to take suggestions from us on where we want to go for vacation. Most of the time, we make good suggestions and they bring us there. We like it. Other times, they say, 'No. That's pushing it.' I would just suggest Hontia for them. We have never been there, and never really bothered. But certain cultures there and the atmosphere of the area was very attractive to tourists.

"Hey Vic. Do you see the simulation?" I asked him.

"I do. So it's going to run over Hontia. How will you get there?" he asked.

"Easy. My parents like to take suggestions on where to go, and we've never suggested or been to Hontia before. If they take the suggestion, then on December 19th, at 2:40, we should be in the heart of the storm," I said. "We'll be storm chasing, except for a different purpose."

"I should mention something. Raikou stays in his cloud whenever he's above ocean. When there's land, there will be a significantly larger, and louder lightning bolt. Wherever that bolt strikes, Raikou is sure to be in that area. It will aim for the highest, non-populated area in the landscape," he said. I understood. I searched for a Hontia map.

"I'm going to look for an topographical map of Hontia," I said. He understood, as I pulled it up. The Honing Mountains were the base spot for the founders of Hontia, and the city was built on a mountain, that overlooked the coast. I found the highest peak. A trail leading up to it was the Peace Trail, named after a bloody civil battle that ended with one man living. His name was Charles Peace, and the trail was named after him. We learned this in history class. It was the defining moment for what would become the fuel for the war of the Dark Legion. It was the highest peak in the mountains near Hontia, and a single bell was there, saluting the soldiers that fought in that battle. It was obvious. There was no better spot. The Peace Bell, one of our great symbols of the Avengers, was going to be struck by the biggest bolt of lightning.

"This… I never imagined this was going to happen…" I said.

"What?" Vic asked.

"The area it's going to strike is called the Peace Bell. It's a major icon for our country," I answered.

"Oh no…" he said.

"Yes… The storm could harm more than a city. It may harm the spirits of the entire country… Isn't there any way you can get to Raikou?" I asked. I was very scared.

"No. Only Entei can, and he's not here in the sanctuary right now," he told me.

"When will he back?" I asked.

"Not for another year. It's hopeless," he said. I knew something inside of me. It was almost a movie moment. Better than one person to take the blow than entire country. Vic wasn't going to think positively.

"There's one way. I'll have to go to the bell and deflect the bolt," he said. I could immediately feel the shock and doubt that Vic had when I said that.

"You're stupid. How will you block a bolt that is the most violent and strong bolt that occurs in nature?" he asks.

"All I have to do is deflect it… Right?" I questioned. I knew it was the only way, and I was very unsure, but I had no other option.

"You can go ahead and kill yourself. I'll have no argument in whatever the hell you're thinking of doing. All I can say is, you are nuts," he said.

"Nuts, but I at least have a plan," I countered. I went up back to my room afterwards. I needed some sleep in order to be ready for whatever comes my way tomorrow.

….

Tomorrow was going to be a bit more hectic than I anticipated. In the early morning Dad came down. We had a little talk about making sure not to get into too many fights, just for the sake of my health. I assured him that I would not get into something horrible, but I knew a battle was inevitable when a crowd was always around me during the Study Hall period. Yesterday I heard some people wanted to battle. I asked if they could wait until a few days went by, since I still needed some recovery. I still took some mineral baths to improve the condition that I was in, and it fairly helped. I started seeing myself become less bothered and the aches weren't as bad. They weren't gone, but they didn't distract me.

When I got down I received a notice from the school. I opened it up and it held a flyer for the dodge ball team. Apparently my success hadn't went unnoticed. I saw who it was given by, and without much of a surprise, it was Mr. R. He was a big sports person, and he was always looking for people for his dodge ball team. He was focusing on me and some others, as a sort of looking for who would be good for the dodge ball team. I knew he would stop at nothing to get on the team. I felt like it could be a good way to occupy myself. I would bring the slip home to mom and dad and see what they said about it. The home room class was the average. I talked with the Aggron and I was starting to know another kid better. His name was Dan. He was at the game yesterday with Jake and John. I think the encounter with Alexis yesterday cleared things up a bit. Due to what she said at the end of the conversation. Of course, I was more focused on the conversation I was having with Vic. Dan was a Krookodile. He was part ground, so a lot of people trusted him more than Kyle. He was popular, and was a bit nicer than some of the other popular crowd kids. They were mainly having a chat about girls.

It was mostly perverted though. I didn't really want to talk about it. But they dragged me into the conversation.

"So Zach, who do you think looks good around here?" Andy asked (the Aggron).

"What do you mean by that?" I asked back.

"Who has a good body, you know, girls?" Dan asked.

I shrugged. "I don't really have those interests right now. I'm not looking to set up any relationships," I told them.

"Is there a specific person that just looks good in general?" Andy asked.

"I don't know any average sort of body. So I can't assess that," I said.

"Well that's fine," Dan said afterwards. They continued with their conversations. Jake was in our homeroom, and I generally found him doing last nights' homework. I went and visited him.

"Is that Geometry?" I asked.

"Yeah. Can you help me out?" he asked. I said sure. He had to do some functions to find the angles of an octagon. I didn't have much trouble with geometry, so it was easy to help him. He thanked me after I finished some problems for him. He was smart, but not very smart. I felt a bit absent minded while in school. I knew all this material already, and it wasn't too difficult. It seemed like I was being nudged towards focusing in on the drama, but I still tried to avoid it.

I went to my locker to pick up the academic supplies I would need. I was talking to the kid next to my locker. He was nice, but wasn't sort of the popular crowd kid. He was just sort of there in a way. He liked to joke around a lot, and knowing my personality, I don't like to joke around too much. I was having trouble finding an important folder. By the time he left I had just found my folder.

Next thing I know, an arm grabs me around the neck.

….

So that would be all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, along with the cliffhanger. It's in a way impossible to predict what will branch off into the next chapter, but I'll tell you this, this is going to be the most important chapter for a while, and probably one of the shortest as far as in story length. The upcoming chapters may cover a week in length, up to 3 weeks. I have to work on some other stories before I can get to this, plus school is starting up in a couple of days. This is the end essentially of my typing frenzy, so don't expect a new chapter to come out until about a week or two.

Remember to leave a review if you have any advice or if you want to leave a friendly comment. Or you can add this story to your alert or favorites list whenever a new chapter premiers. Check into my homepage for further updates.

~DTH~


	5. Chapter 5, Recovery

Zach's Years: Freshman, a Pokemon fanfiction. Chapter 5, Recovery

Author's Note: This took forever to produce due to multiple reasons.

1: I needed a REAL break from typing. Been a huge pain lately.

2: I had a different fic to update beforehand.

3: TF2 And Minecraft have been populating my time a lot. More gaming than typing.

I hope that this fic will please the audience and any more to come.

Side note: This fic is my most popular fan fic by a long shot. However, that means I also have a higher demand for chapters. In that case, I may have trouble pleasing the crowd quickly, but I will just work as fast as I can.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the pokemon franchise. I DO own rights though to this story.**

….

_It isn't hard for other people to get on other peoples' nerves. It's just that everyone has their own problem, and it's what separates the world. Everyone gets mad at everyone for something; it is inevitable. However, people have judgments on what is the rightful thing to be mad or glad about. These judgments are not all the same. However, people with similar judgments band together forming an alliance. These alliances will try to aggressively fight anyone who does not see their point of view and that has a different judgment. It's the roll of nature for creatures to be aggressive. That doesn't mean that these judgments can be reasoned with. It has worked before. The big deal is that people will disagree. Those disagreements grow into arguments. Those arguments grow into fights. Those fights grow into debates. Those debates grow into war. That, is why the race of sentient life will never be stable, even if they are all under the same ruler._

_Solosis Family Figurehead,_

_Arnold Callenheimer_

_August 14, 987_

….

I went to my locker to pick up the academic supplies I would need. I was talking to the kid next to my locker. He was nice, but wasn't sort of the popular crowd kid. He was just sort of there in a way. He liked to joke around a lot, and knowing my personality, I don't like to joke around too much. I was having trouble finding an important folder. By the time he left I had just found my folder.

Next thing I know, an arm grabs me around the neck. I didn't have time to react. No one had time to. It just happened all too fast. I couldn't move; the person had me in a complete chokehold, and he had covered my eyes. In seconds people realized what was going on. However, he was already dragging me down the stairs. A school guard was notified. He charged after me. I heard a car pull up and I was thrown in it. I could see now. The man who had taken me was a Bisharp. He was incredibly thin and wiry. The driver was a Honchkrow. Both dark types. I wasn't surprised.

The guard who was chasing after them was a Staraptor. He lunged at the car. The Honchkrow stepped on the gas and started running full on. Bystanders were confused and scared at the same time while this happened. I tried to get out of my seat and move, only to realized I had been duct taped while the Bisharp was dragging me. My mouth and arms were taped shut. It was too hard.

The guard broke through the top of the car when the Honchkrow tried using gust to knock him off. It was successful, as he was flown into the air. Offset, he fell to the ground with a thick thud. I had no idea what was going on, but I understood it was the dark legion. Vic was asleep, so I had no voice in my head to help me through. I investigated the two crooks to realize that they were actually something you would take out of a movie that would be a veteran of a war. They're hard, cold, and somewhat dead inside. I even saw what looked like a large amount of stitches on the Honchkrow's left wing. Some laceration.

By the time I knew what was going on we were on an interstate highway. What was going on? Why was I kidnapped?

….

"Mr. Ron, we've received reports that Mr. Regaldi was kidnapped by some dark Legionnaires," the advisor said to the most well-known figurehead of the avengers. The mighty Aggron stood tall and proud.

"Do you know where they are taking him?" he asked.

"They're on highway 103. We can't be for sure. On that route they could end up heading towards _Vosa Nov__é_, Cortia City, or the nearest military outpost," the advisor said.

"Post 21-AA. The best military outpost. They wouldn't possibly get through," A.J. Ron said.

"Yes. We have no idea what they could pull, but the only way out into DL territory would be through post 21-AA. They would be stopped cold in their tracks. What shall we do sir?" the advisor asked.

"I need someone to spy on the car. Track it's every move and tell us where it is going. If it's going to Vosa Nové, they could be snuck through. I have no idea what they would do in Cortia city. In that case, send some troops out to Vosa Nové," A.J. Ron ordered.

"Yes sir," the advisor replied.

….

I heard unintelligible murmuring from the two of them. They seemed to be doing some sort of conniving. I saw a sign run by. It said that I was on route 103; notorious for running into 3 cities all on the border of our country. I took a better look of the signs coming by. At this rate, the nearest city is Vosa Nové. That place was frightening. It had a sort of ghost town-ish feel. It had generally high crime rates. After that was the largest city that was close to the border known as Cortia city. If all else fails, they could suicide through post 21-AA. The reason why I say suicide is because post 21-AA is the best military post in the country. The drivers would be demolished. I heard them talking over. They referred to themselves with code names. The Bisharp was 201, and the Honchkrow was 94. I had no idea how the numbers were picked, but judging by their conversations, they were veterans in the Dark Legion. They came from a post called Kolaida.

Kolaida was the closest militant post from the Dark Legion's home town, known as Crodaia. The ruler, an Absol, lives there, in a gigantic tower up 2 miles high. I knew that the soldiers were well-trained and cut out for this mission. I realized that the lower the number, the more expertise the soldier was. That meant the Honchkrow must be a legend in the army. I realized that I may not be getting through this one. The Bisharp also had to be very good if he was ranked 201 out of the several hundred thousand militia the Dark Legion has.

Another hour flew bye before I saw a sign that said: Exit – Vosa Nové. They kept going through.

That confused me. Wouldn't it be instinctive to go to Vosa Nové? That is a very shadowy place. Instead they kept driving without anything. I knew they wouldn't go to the military post. It was suicide. There would be no way of hiding me. It just then pieced together.

Vosa Nové obviously would have militia sent in, so that they would catch them. So they couldn't go there. Post-21-AA was suicide, so that wasn't an option. So the last option was Cortia City. Something was going to happen there. I don't know what, but it was.

Another hour went by just when I saw the ever familiar towers reaching at the clouds, trying to gather as much of the strips as possible. After 20 minutes of going through the town, it was now 5:30 P.M. We pulled into an odd parking lot. This was where I received some instructions. I saw a tower that said: Cortia Hotel: Helicopter Tours, Pools, and More For the Family. Honestly not what you'd expect to find about 2 hours away from the country's best military post. They drove into the parking lot and went to a remote area where nobody was at all. It was dark. The Bisharp had a flashlight. The Honchkrow spoke.

"You're to get in this luggage. It will be a tight fit, but it will have to do. Understand?" he asked. I mumbled yes. He nodded. I squeezed into the bag as tight as I could. There was no room. I was supplied an oxygen mask that I couldn't talk through, nor make noises. I heard noises. I heard that the Bisharp ordered a helicopter tour. The landscape was beautiful around these parts, with some volcanoes as well. It made sense now. They weren't taking a leisurely cruise throughout the landscape. They were going to hijack a helicopter.

If you were wondering, helicopters were MASSIVE at the time. There were only 11 in our country. They had specially trained pilots, and only 11 of them to fit one per copter. They were hard to control and hard to pilot, but the Dark Legion had invented these. There were far more DL copters than AV copters.

They checked into a room. They ordered me to get out. They pushed me into the closet. They told me that we would be boarding a Helicopter tour. I had to be smuggled on, and they would kill the pilot. After that they would take the helicopter and fly it straight into Dark Legion territory. I don't know what the dark legion wants with me, but something's visible. The dark legion wants me, and I don't know why.

An hour passes and I was dressed in some weird suit. It was almost an invisi-suit, as I was near invisible. There would be slight distortion. The DL had way better technology then we did. I even saw some weird barrel like thing that looked like some sort of handheld item. I saw weird cylindrical canisters attached to it, all coming to an end in a point. I was scared of it, and I couldn't understand why. The two of them walked up to the pad. They snuck me into the cargo area. For this, they me on full alert, but I was at least untied of the tape. I heard a loud bang all of a sudden, and a scream that sounded like that of a Garchomp's. The pilot was a Garchomp. I saw that the Bisharp had the weird handheld, and that there was one less cylinder on his belt than before. Whatever that item was, it was murderous. I would have to be careful of that.

Soon enough the engine revved up and we started floating up. I've never been in a helicopter before; only an airplane. I was taken off by the gravity, but it loop-holed. I had to act in an instant. When the copter shook, Vic woke up.

"Wah! What was that?" he asked.

"Don't look now, but I'm kidnapped by some dark legions," he said.

"How?" he asked.

"I'll tell you later!" I yelled. I knew what I had to do in an instant. My hands were cuffed, but the copter shook. I used it to get a boost and landed on the cuffs as hard as possible. Luckily, they broke. I was free. The only issue were the dark legions. I waited until we were high off the ground before I would attack. I saw a small stainless steel knife on the ground. I picked it up silently. I crept on my foes. They had no idea I was there. The Bisharp was piloting the helicopter. I had never had such power in one hand before… Can I really kill someone?

Whatever they were doing, I knew it was going to turn out positively for me. I had no choice. The blade of the knife was long enough to penetrate through the seat. I had an idea. To make is soft and quiet, I would jab the knife through the seat of the Honchkrow. So, I did.

The Bisharp was having a conversation and all of a sudden his partner was blank faced. Lifeless.

"What the?" he said. I tried to do the same with the Bisharp, but it was too late. He turned and saw me. He jumped out of his seat and stepped onto the control pad. All of a sudden the copter jerked around. I was offset. The knife broke the window of the copter and fell into oblivion.

"You're gonna pay for that!" he yelled. He took out the handheld again. I reacted immediately by kicking it out of his hands. I ran for it, but he beat night slashed me to get their first. He trampled over me and picked up the gun. I dashed so I was behind him. I grabbed hold of him, just as the controls messed up and the copter flipped upside down.

For Arceus's sake, how hard is it to fight upside down? REALLY hard. Everything is thrown off, you think you're tripping, and the copter is unstable! The Bisharp was getting steady on his feet when I saw a GPS. It had taken long enough for us to get out of Cortia. Within minutes we would be over Post 21-AA. He got back up and tackled me.

His foot kicked the control panel and soon the copter was shifted onto his side. We tumbled around as the door on the new bottom slid open. I was about to fall out as I clinged onto the edge of the copter. Beneath me was almost 3 miles of air, all ending with a crash into solid ground. I panicked, but Vic helped me keep my cool. I slowly started to push myself up, which was hard with the copter on its side.

But then I saw the grim reaper in his truest form. The Bisharp came back, with a bloody face. The Honchkrow corpse had slipped out a while ago. He was mad. VERY mad. He had a club in his hand. Soon enough he swung the club as hard as he could. It bashed my left hand, forcing it to let go. Now I was hanging by my fingertips from the other side of the copter. He was ready for the second strike. I thought up of a new plan instantly. He swung the club down and whacked my right hand. It let go and I appeared to have plunged to my death.

_Appeared_.

I had extended my blades as far out as possible. Most Gallades don't know that, if right, you can defy gravity once. But only once, you wouldn't have the time to do so again until you were far down. I had my blades out at its longest, which were 6 feet long. I shortened the blade so that I was going to the end. Soon enough, I was propelled upwards. I had a mach-punch charged so I used it with all my effort. I clang to them bottom of the copter, hanging by the finger nail tip of my right hand. I used my other hand to get a steady grip. I swung my legs up so that I was now clinging onto the copter from its bottom. It was now right-side up again.

I saw something fly out of the window. In an instant I knew that I would need that. The invisi-suit. The perfect ambushing device. I threw out a blade so that it hooked onto it. I dragged it to me. I was on the side of the copter, out of site. I was covered in the suit. I saw the handheld device. I heard the Bisharp ask himself where the "gun" was. So that's what this thing was! I took the chain of cylinders he had and hooked it up to the gun. I snuck up behind him. If you were watching the situation, there would have been a floating gun behind this Bisharp's head. I saw what appeared to be a triggered. I pulled back on it with my finger, and a loud bang went off similar to the one I had heard before I had gotten on the plane. Something flew through the Bisharp's head and broke the control panel. Blood spewed through a clean hole in the Bisharp's head. He was dead no doubt. I moved him out of the seat, and threw his corpse out of the side, only to realize that I was losing altitude and fast.

The GPS said I was directly above Post 21-AA. Then it short-circuited. Soon the panel was sparking, and all the buttons were broke. There was only one lever and it was by the pilot's seat. It said, "On" and "Off". The copter was on. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was going to have to work. I pulled the lever to the off side. Soon the engine was cut. I felt myself taking a plunge. I was pressed to the top of the helicopter for some time. And then I hit the ground.

….

Meanwhile, at the Post 21-AA command office…

"So, we had some orders from Mr. Ron. He said, 'If you see a black car coming with a Bisharp and a Honchkrow in it, stop them immediately'," the commander said.

"Why is that?" an attendee asked.

"He says that they have a hostage hoping to be smuggled into DL territory," the commander said.

"COMMANDER JACK! QUICK!" a soldier yelled as he burst into the room.

"What is it soldier?" the commander questioned.

"YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT! HEAD TO THE CAFETERIA!" the soldier screamed. He was panicked. The commander could tell it on his face. The group clattered down towards the cafeteria. Typhlosions have never been able to express emotions easily. But the look on Commander Jack's face sold it all. When a Typhlosion is awestruck, it's serious. In the middle of the cafeteria was rubble, blades, cartridges of fuel, and several other copter parts. That wasn't the real point. In the middle was a young 14 year old red Gallade. His face was bruised and cut. Blood was pouring out from the side of his mouth. Several of his bones were broken; including his spine. His right arm was broken so hard that the arm naturally took a sharp bend. His legs were a deep black blue; a sign that a Gallade was on his way to death's row. The blue hue in his spike was fading. Another sign of near death. However, he still had a pulse. It doesn't make sense.

A helicopter had fallen in from 3 miles high, with a 14-year old Gallade, and it crashes into a building, and yet the passenger is still alive?

"Commander Jack. This person, is gravely injured. We must get him to the infirmary immediately," a soldier said, while carrying the unconscious body of Zach Regaldi.

"Do so soldier. Quickly as well. I'm going to talk to Mr. Ron about this," the Typhlosion said. He then walked away, unsure if he could trust his own mind.

….

I had felt this feeling before. Although it was worse than ever. I woke up with my head throbbing. A sign of life. How did I survive? After a plunge of three miles into the air? My vision was blurry, but distinguishable. I was in a room, dressed in pastel blue hospital clothes. Once again an electroencephalograph was monitoring my condition. It had a steady beeping rate going. I looked down and saw my spike was a deep black shade. I was close to dying. I tried looking under my blankets to see my legs. At the first trial of moving my right arm I had probably one of the worst jolts of pain in my life yet.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" I yelled out. It gained attention. A doctor, Chansey, rushed in with a clip board!

She gasped and called out, "He's alive!" Immediately a Typhlosion, Aggron, and a Manetric came in.

"Good lord! How is he still alive?" the Manetric questioned. I saw a smile on the Aggron's face.

"Where… Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in good hands son," the Typhlosion said. I knew what he meant. I was in the Post 21-AA hospital. So I had landed where I expected.

"Who are you people?" I asked.

"I am Commander Jack O'Donnell. 3rd highest general of the avengers," the Typhlosion introduced.

"I am Doctor Kyle Macciah," the Manetric said. "Esteemed military doctor."

"I am A.J. Ron," the Aggron said. I was almost shocked. A.J. Ron was essentially the Avenger's leader. The most powerful person on the west side. What was he doing here? Wasn't it extremely dangerous? "I wish to talk to Mr. Regaldi _alone_," he said. I got a bit nervous. Jack and Kyle left the room.

"Why… Why are you here? Isn't it dangerous?" I asked.

"So the report was right. You care about others more than yourself," he said. I shrugged a bit. "Do not let that demote you. I want to know what happened. All of it."

"It's hard to explain…" I started.

"Nonsense. All I know is that a Bisharp and Honchkrow kidnapped you and went on route 103. I want to know the rest; and how you get here in the first place," he said.

"Well… They knew that Vosa Nové was going to be filled with soldiers, so they went to Cartia City," I said. A.J. grunted at that. "They went to the hotel that had a helicopter. They hijacked it and were going to ride it out of the country with me in it."

"So how are you here right now?" he asked.

"Well, I managed to crush the cuffs. They had a type seal on them, so I couldn't use moves. I stabbed the Honchkrow with a knife…" I said, shamefully.

"Killed?" he asked.

"He flew off the side of the copter," I told him.

"Ah… As for the Bisharp?" he asked.

"Well, we had a fight and the controls went haywire. He almost threw me over, but I clung to the underside of the heli," I said. He looked surprised at that.

"How'd you kill him?" he asked.

"With a… gun…" I said, slowly.

"A what?" he asked.

"This thing… It used these cylinders to fire these ended tips that would go through your body. I shot one into the Bisharp and he just dropped dead. He killed a Garchomp with it…" I mentioned.

"Wow. Do you know where it is?" he asked.

"In the heli rubble," I said.

"Okay…" he said.

"The rest of the story is self-explanatory. The controls started malfunctioning. I figured just get it over with and shut down the copter. So I did, and it plummeted into this place," I said.

"And that's that… I have to say I'm impressed…" Ron said.

"How long will I be here for?" I asked. He chuckled.

"I'm afraid you won't be going home for two weeks. We've notified your school on this, your work is forfeited. You'll get all credit," he said. I sighed. "Your family will not be notified. We've told them that it is disclosed." I saw the clock. It said 1:32 A.M.

"What are my injuries?" I asked.

"Well there's a number of things. About 3 bone fractures, one in your arm, finger, and ear, 6 hairline fractures throughout your legs, a massive cut in your other arm, and some various snapped veins throughout your body. You're technically a vegetable; but you'll recover in two weeks' worth. Your young body regrows fast," he noted.

I moaned and said, "Fuck…"

"It sucks… I know," A.J. said. "You will have one visitor. We assumed that he was the right one," A.J. said.

"Who?" I asked.

"He'll be here at noon tomorrow. His name is John Johnson," I said. I was relieved. John and Brian are the only ones who know of the V seal. That mentioned, does A.J. know about the V seal?

"I am going to let you get some rest. I understand it has been a very long day for you," A.J. said. He left after that.

"Wow. I'm going to say, this is probably one of the most climactic days in your life," Vic said.

"It is…" I said. I closed my eyes, ignored the pain, and just drifted off into sleep.

….

"We lost Numbers 201 and 94 in trying to siege Zach Regaldi," the advisor mentioned.

"Arceus damn… Where is Zach now?" the leader said.

"In the Post 21-AA hospital. He's in for two weeks," the advisor said.

"Those fools… I told them he was no regular kid… He beat a Junior for Pete's sake. They got too careless," the leader ranted.

"If it's any consolation, we can try again at a future date," the advisor said.

"No. We're not going to waste more soldiers trying to get him. That's going to be for a future date," the leader replied.

"John Johnson will be visiting him today at noon. Do you want to get him?" the advisor asked.

"That is a good idea. We will get him on his way back. _Comprendé?_" the leader said.

"_Me comprendé señor_," the advisor said.

….

I woke up this morning at 10:00. I was still in the hospital, and I had only started my extremely long stay there. The same nurse Chansey checked up on me. I asked for the news. I knew that my story may have just gotten on the news. I asked for the largest newspaper I know, the Journalist's Writings. I checked through the pages for local news. They had several sections. Relaxingly, I couldn't find my story. Although I know my parents must be worried sick, and so with my brother. In a few hours John J. would come to visit. I'm sure I had a lot of storytelling. He had already signed a contract saying he is not allowed to freely get out this confirmation. The story we had to tell everyone was that I had been kidnapped, and the kidnappers were in a car accident. I barely lived, but I have to spend 2 weeks in recovery before I can head back to school. It was pain in the ass, considering I was freely allowed to tell the story to all the kids about Tucker and how he was a dark minion.

I'm not surprised though. I had a talk with the most powerful man in the Avengers, and the 3rd highest in military command. I got to talk with the doctor a bit. He seems very smart, yet has something to hide.

When I got to check my legs, they were almost pitch black. It unnerved me just as much as how my spike was a deep shade of blue. Fortunately, my legs are only grey now, and my spike is already starting to get brighter. It gave the doctor's confidence that I was going to pull through.

On the arm that wasn't broken, I had a large laceration that actually punctured at the elbow and that it went all the way up. I was operated on overnight, and I received about 132 stitches. They said that I would have to wait a week before they could remove them. I was fortunate since I was growing so fast, and my body would repair so easily. Otherwise, the doctor said I would be dead earlier and I would have to wait 2 months in order to get these stitches out.

They said that they were going to transfer me when John was going back from his visit. Their reasoning is that it would seem natural that I am in the local hospital, and that I didn't get sent out to Post 21-AA.

A.J. Ron had left, as he felt a bit paranoid in how I was chased down. He feared that they could even ambush us when we were going back. He has assigned several personnel to scout out the areas that we will travel through. We're even taking the long way to make sure that no one will suspect us coming through the path. It will take 6 hours to get back to Heidelberg, so it was going to be a very long drive. I was having a mental conversation with Vic.

"I'm impressed. You handled those two quite well," Vic praised.

"They hurt bad though. Plus the situation didn't help to my convenience. I almost plummeted three miles into the ground for fuck's sake," I groaned.

"It's a miracle you're alive. The general cage of the copter definitely aided you," Vic noted.

"It'll be nice to have some recognizable company. All these super-stars made my head spin… Do you think the kids at school will buy it?" I asked.

"I wouldn't count on it. But anything is possible," he said. Anything is possible. Where did I recognize that phrase?

"Ha, when Grumpigs fly," I said. We laughed at that one. I looked at the clock. It was just over noon.

"John should be here any time now," I said.

"Hm?" Vic asked. He seemed confused.

"John Johnson. He's taking a visit. He knows everything. He signed a secrets act," I said.

"He is your closest friend next to your brother after all," Vic said.

"Yeah. Ever since he was a Combusken. The irony in how we became friends… I'll never forget," I said...

….

4 Years Ago…

….

Back when the war was something fresh new to our economy, everyone was in a bit of a panic. Big brother was sick that day, and mama was tending to him… I was still just a Kirlia. I wanted to grow up to be a Gallade like my brother.

I often confuse a lot of people. My brother said that he gets a lot of "head turns". He says I get more than he does. Is it because of my color? I don't know. My brother was complaining that he wanted to go to school. I don't know why.

There was a new kid coming into today. We were told that his name was John. This was back when we were only required to wear pelvic body wear. No shirts needed. The private school wanted to change that such regulation, but it never passed through with the parents.

When class started off, I saw a Combusken walk in. I knew he was the new student of course. He looked pretty distracted. When he saw me, he stopped for a sec, sighed, and then kept walking. The teacher rambled on. I was still being pended for advanced classes. My brother was still pushing over mama and papa to be in public school. He had to go through a regular old maintenance.

The day continued on regularly. I often caught him just staring at me for brief moments at a time. If I caught him looking he would avert his eyes, and act like nothing had happened. Why was he doing so.

After school was out I was getting ready to go to the bus. I had almost everything I had packed. The Combusken comes up to me and asks a question.

"Uh, hi! Ehh, what's, um, your name?" he asked, nervously. I decided to mess with him. I could morph my voice at the time to make it sound whatever I wanted it to be. I think I knew what he was thinking towards me.

"My name is Zoey," I said with a high-pitched, girly voice.

"Yeah… Hi, Zoey… My name is John," he said. He's so nervous! That was making it all better for the punch-line. I kept up the charade.

"Yeah hi. Aren't you the new kid?" I asked.

"Indeed I am. Do you like to play any sports, or anything like that?" he asked.

"No not really. I do like to battle though," I said.

"Huh. I never really met a girl that likes to battle," he said. He was buying it! HAHAHA!

"Yeah. I'm into guys that like to battle," I said. I tried to add a cute accent to it. I always received compliments of being "cute".

"Really? I feel like I'm okay at battling. Don't know if it meets your standards," he said.

"Oh. Well I don't really have any standards," I said.

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that I'm a guy," I said, toning my voice back to regular.

"What? Oh for the love of- You had me going there," he said. I was cracking up. After a bit of raging he started laughing at it too.

"My real name is Zach Regaldi. What's yours again?" I asked.

"John. John Johnson," he said.

"Bit of a funny name, don't you think?" he said.

"I'd say so too. But man, you REALLY had me going. I did not expect that. It's impressive; I didn't know red Kirlias existed," he said. Neither did I.

"Yeah, but I think I prove that theory wrong. Want to hang out sometime?" I asked.

"Sure. Why not. You need to tell me how you set that up," he said.

"It has to be in the right occasion at the right time," I said. We had a chat, and then we parted.

….

Vic laughed. "That's hilarious. He told you about his sister, didn't he?"

"Yeah. That's how Brian and Rachel even got together. During a party, the entire family came over, and Brian and Rachel met, became friends, and then voila, they were together. I like to see them as a couple," I noted.

"They make a good pair. Even if trans species comes off as a little odd, I know some families in the Magcargo Sanctuary that are trans species relation. They are treated like every day pokemon," he said.

"I don't know if I'd ever end up in a trans relation… I would prefer to be with a Gardevoir really," I noted. I had to be honest for once.

"Well, there's always someone for someone else. It's just your duty to find that someone," Vic said.

"It's hard to find my match," I moaned.

"Don't say that!" he exclaimed. I ignored him for once. I tried to take a nap when John came in.

"Hey, 'Lawful son of a bitch'. You seem to have really made a name for yourself this time," he said.

"It's too bad no one will ever know about it. I prefer it this way though," I said.

"How bad were you hurt?" he asked.

"Bad enough. Almost a complete dislocation in my right arm, an extensive cut in my left, a hairline fracture, and various snapped veins. 132 stitches," I said.

"Yikes. When did the stitches get implanted?" he asked.

"Over night. I have to say I'm pretty unsteady right now," I said.

"Arceus, I can't imagine… How did you deal with those dark legions?" he asked.

"I used weapons more than moves… If I was fighting with just moves I would have easily been eviscerated," I said.

"Why do you like to use such weird vocab? I don't know what evissalated means!" he exclaimed.

"Eviscerated," I said.

"WHO GIVES A SHIT!" he yelled.

"Please be quiet!" the Chansey exclaimed.

"Sorry," John moaned.

"Don't hate yourself. I've always had an issue with people getting mad at me over the smallest things. They're taking me in the same trip back to the local hospital," I said.

"Really? That way it won't be a pain in the ass 5 hour drive to get here. That'll be convenient," he beamed.

"Huh. I don't know if my parents or bro will buy all this. Same with the kids at school," I said.

"Maybe. I think they won't buy it or they'll buy it like I did to you all those years ago," he said. We had a laugh at that remark.

"They'll be deporting us in a few minutes," I said.

"Well I guess we won't waste time," John replied.

"It'll be good to be back. Even if I can't really come back for 2 weeks," I said.

"Cheer up. This will blow over quickly. Maybe not easily, but quickly," he replied.

"I hope so. This will stick with me for a while," I said.

"I'll visit you every now and then while you're in the hospital. Just to keep you company," he replied.

"Thanks… I don't know if my parents will come. As in over and over again. Of course they'll visit once," I said.

"I guess you're right," he said. Just then the nurse got us up. I had a wheel chair. John hauled me over to the car. The car was a large-scale SUV. It had room for 12 people, and had bullet-proof windshields a long with a bag of weapons to hold onto. Sure enough they wanted me to be safe and sound. I just don't know why A.J. Ron would go through all this to get me back…

What does he see inside me?

"This looks like an armored car," Vic said inside my mind. I was being lifted into the vehicle.

"You think?" I questioned. John took his seat in the back. I was sitting in the 2nd out of the 4 rows. 5 guards came on, along with General Jack.

The car ride on its own was silent, and somewhat tense really. I slept for 2 hours, and then had a talk with Vic. It wasn't too important, but it does discuss my plans for Hontia.

"You do realize that Hontia is months away, right?" Vic said.

"I know that. But by the time I'm out of here, there's only 2 months before so. I feel a bit concerned, but I need to do it. I need to block that bolt Vic," I said.

"I know… But I still think its suicide," he said.

"Not if someone is helping me," I said.

"Who would help you?" he questioned. He made a good point.

"Erg… You would help me, right?" I asked him.

"Are you kidding me?" he questioned.

"Oh well. I suppose you could take the risk of just letting me get myself killed because I'll be doing it regardless," I said. Even if my mental trick wouldn't work I would still go. I felt some sort of importance.

"Fine. I can always find another person," he said. I smirked. I knew that he wouldn't leave me unless I die. He bound himself to me and now he's stuck that way. It made me laugh in my mind. "Why are you so comedical?" He can read my emotions, but can't seek the source of them.

After our small chat I slept some. Eventually I saw a recognizable sight. Soon enough we were back at Heidelberg; the massive Towers and the Monumental hospital. I asked General Jack something.

"Jack, a question. Will I be guarded during my stay?" I asked.

"Yes. Ron asked me to send a good man of ours to watch over you at the hospital. He's disguised as an intern," he said. Spying in your own boundaries. It made me laugh. I was put into the hospital and inserted to my room. I was on the 53rd floor. There was 60 in all. I was in the center in case they used some sort of scoping device to spy on me.

I noticed that I was a bit more paranoid after this encounter. Something had given me a jolt during the incident. The feeling of being grabbed out of nowhere and dragged somewhere far away was now a fear. I'll be needing that extra sense. Anticipation.

….

Recovery, like John said, blew over quickly. My brother and parents visited as soon as they heard that I was in the hospital. I was fortunate that they bought the story they had given me. They genuinely thought that I was in a car crash. They even gave reasons for how I got each injury with the crash. I was impressed at how they could do all that.

Brian knew what really happened. In fact, John had told him while he visited at his house. I knew Brian was my blood relative, so I could count on him to hold a secret.

Things started to go one by one. The first things to heal were my arms. Those heal the fastest for a Gallade. Then my legs, so I could walk. After that each injury had to follow through. I would have to wear a cast for my broken arm for a week while I was at school.

The stitches came out at the end of my hospital journeys. There were still red marks of where the stitches had been, but they would fade away in a few days. The broken arm started to hurt less, but it was still painful as hell.

I was nervous about how I would go about the first day of school. My eye had been slightly damaged, and would take an extra few days to heal, so I had to wear an eye patch. I was hoping they wouldn't think I was a pirate. My parents were happy when I got back, and they practically pampered me. Well, mainly my mom.

My dad was on a, "Business Trip". He always has them. My brother of course still is at his apartment, probably doing something. Things I don't know of. John was actually going to be sort of an assistant for the week. He would help me with any problems I had. He had to get help from other kids on what he missed while he was aiding me.

The school day started off when I got on the bus. Lots of head turnings, and quite a few greetings, I must add. I didn't have an important conversation really, and I got my own seat. It was hard not to notice what had happen to me; I had bruises and various cuts around my body. The cast was probably the most notable thing on me.

Many people wanted to sign it. Another thing I don't get; why does everyone always sign someone else's cast? I went to a private school, and no one really gave a reason why. It must be a sign of popularity for some reason. Or just trying to feel sorry for whoever was hurt.

I wasn't hurt though; I was injured. A very massive line between the two. I was excused from battle class until I was in condition again. No more tension from Mr. Endire at least. People were nicer to me, but things didn't change all that much. Same friendly and yet awkward conversations with Alexis, me and Nihar hanging, out and the gang all at the library. The chat didn't change too much either. 2 weeks isn't much in the life of public school then…

John was handy to have around. Even though I could use my left hand (I'm sort of ambidextrous) for a lot of things like writing, some things required one hand or the other, or both. John would take over for any occasions like so, so I was grateful that I had a friend to look over me.

I still wasn't sure whether Alexis _actually _like Jake or John. McCormick that is. She likes to hang out with them; that's clear. It's just sometimes their conversations seem pretty pointless. They don't talk much about anything that matters. I've known for a fact that anyone who really likes each other will want to talk about drama and their friends. What mall you're going to may be of importance, but what you ate for breakfast? Be real here.

I didn't hate Alexis or anything. I just didn't like her either. I couldn't really relate to her. I find it hard to find myself with her in the first place. I told Vic that I wanted to have a Gardevoir as my mate; but really all the Gardevoirs are just too dramatic! I haven't met one that I can settle down with at the public school. I met _a _Gardevoir at the Private school that I could actually like, but I didn't date her since I was busy. I'm planning for the future; I deal with drama later, school and etc. now.

Jake, John, Kyle, and everyone else I meet at the library talk about some things. I asked them to fill me in on what I missed while I was recovering from the "accident".

"Mainly some programs changed. I suggest talking to the teachers on what you need to learn, as we really kicked into the curriculum now," Eric told me.

"I'm not on your team. Don't look at me," Daniel said. Max answered the same.

"I know for a fact that we have a quiz in English 2 days from now. As for history, the test is today," Jake told me.

"I know that… Anything else?" I asked.

"Nope," Kyle said.

"Alright then," I replied. People asked of fighting them once I'm in good condition. I said maybe, as I may not be able to fight even without a cast.

Even then the days started to blow by. I started getting into a regular routine of fighting certain people. In the past 2 weeks, I did 3 fights, successful in each one. One was against a Hitmontop. He was good, but had pretty exploitable weaknesses. Another one was a Donphan. He got too caught up in a rollout, which allowed me to get time for super-punch. The last one was a Vespiquen. She was the best out of the ones I fought, but not as good as John McCormick. She was very good at fighting, and nearly beat me. But I managed to get an ice punch in which slowed her down. I started to finally get a grip on things and have a routine…

Until today…

….

Today was out of the ordinary… Something was so cleverly put together that not even a single student would notice anything different.

One of the custodians was a Luxray. A nice man, who was respected throughout the school. He was really at his home though, bound to a chair with duct tape. The intruder was a Dark Legion Luxray, who had the intent of one thing; burning the school to ashes. As the #4 agent in the Dark Legion, he had a flawless reputation. He had been able to bring down hospitals, sky scrapers, even an entire town with it all looking completely unsuspicious. The goal was to make it look like an accident. This was a piece of cake for him. No trouble at all. He just didn't understand why he had chosen this school in specific. But he wasn't one to question the Legion's orders.

The goal was simple. The nitrogen and oxygen tanks were placed in the cafeteria for purposes of insulation. They were in a very non-flammable area; you had to wear fire suits to be in there. It was made sure that no fire could be in there at all. So why not sneak a fire in? With the amount of flammability in that room, you could set off an explosion that would also engulf the school in an inferno easily. He had special remote-detonated flare bombs that would go off at the touch of a button. His trademark was an all at once catastrophe.

Those weren't all the directions though… He had to come in early for a reason. He was equipped with power tools that were able to silently cut through and into walls. He was to place the amount of cartridges in certain spots so that no civilians would be able to escape. The reason for this was needed to get an HVI to the Legion. Kidnapping him didn't work, so killing him was the only option. He understood just who the Red Gallade was. He had taken down some of their best soldiers. He did want some revenge on him.

During lunch, Zach always goes to get an extra bite. What is it? Doesn't matter. He just goes and gets it. So it was the perfect way to trap him from the rest. To make it seem less of an attack, it was just to burn the school and kill the HVI. Simple enough really. Everything was in place and ready for detonation. Now it was just time to wait…

….

Lunch was fine. I had talked with some friends. It was now about 12:40, so I had 10 minutes left in lunch. I decided to get a snack. I knew that no one was manning the register, so I just had to auto-scan it. I picked up a bag of spicy chips…

Who knew that picking up something spicy would cause an inferno to erupt right behind your back? All of a sudden, the entire exit of the room was engulfed in fire, and the fire alarms struck immediately. The entire school panicked. I was dazed for a period of time. The initial burst hit me hard, and I was knocked onto my feet. The entire room had been set ablaze, and I had no idea how to get out. There wasn't a way out. I looked around, very panicked hoping for something that could be some sort of icon that would help me through. There wasn't anything. All the ovens were on fire, all the trays burnt. This was a blazing hot fire, as the metal was starting to become molten. Soon enough I was trapped with no way out. Running through the fire was suicide. A thick wall of flames hot enough to turn metal into magma. Of course I would die quickly. Hell, I might even combust!

I heard a voice soon enough. "Zach! Are you in there!" It was John Johnson's voice.

"Yes!" I yelled. It was hard to hear over the roaring flames.

"The fire company is on their way! Will you make it?" he asked. There was a pause. A very somber pause… "ZACH! ANSWER ME! WILL YOU MAKE IT?"

"No… It's over…" I moaned.

"Don't give up! There has to be some way…" he started.

"Don't try. Even a Blaziken can't handle these flames… They're melting the metal. Turn back!" I told him.

"That's foolish! Can't you use protect or something?" he questioned.

"No… It's done. Just go. Make sure to tell them that this was the Legion's fault. It was to assassinate me," I said.

"What?" he asked. I was ready. I didn't know if this was to kill me, but there was a chance that it would possibly work. I had gathered a large amount of oxygen tanks, and even had homemade gunpowder. I asked Vic to get me some, and he got me some sure enough. I can take something that he has with my mind, copy it, put it into mental storage, and bring here.

"Run! Before the explosion gets you! NOW!" I yelled. The package was ready. The hole in the ceiling was wide open. I had a reflective barrier beneath my feet. I had a pair of wings. I had a respiratory device. I had no idea where I was going to be flung, but I would be flung most certainly. Vic was designing a parachute, but time was running out. There were only a few Ariados in the sanctuary, and they were doing all they could to make a net. The flames were nearing.

"You're gonna have to finish it soon Vic. I'm detonating in 5 seconds," I said. He replied, frantic. I understood that there was little time, but I had no choice.

3…

2…

1…

Now!

The flames scorched my face, both from the inferno and the blast, and I was soon going as fast as a rocket. I looked beneath me and saw that the blast had blown up half of the school. I was now flying high in the sky. I had my respiratory device on, and I started to gain altitude slower and slower. For a few seconds I hung in midair. Vic wasn't done the parachute either.

….

POV Switch To John Johnson

….

I had no idea what Zach was planning to do, but I knew it had to be big scale. I knew by the concern in his voice that I needed to get away from the school. I ran as fast as I could. When I bust open the door, I saw several concerned faces. Everyone knew that Zach and I were the only ones still in. They were relieved, but it wiped over when they realized Zach wasn't getting out. It soon turned into a mob trying to get away from the school.

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" I yelled. Everyone screamed and started running away from the school. Just behind my back, a massive explosion happened. It was impossible for anyone in Heidelberg not to hear the explosion. The damage was relatively low, but the shockwave was massive. The bomb exploded in an inferno, and smoke climbed onto the sky, fading into the distance. I was wiped off my feet, and thrown by the force into the crowd. Other people fell on their face, and soon enough it was over. Zach had died…

I remembered his words… An assassination attempt by the Dark Legion… Why where they hunting him?

….

"Sir… The assassination attempt was a failure," the advisor said.

"What? IMPOSSIBLE!" the dark overlord yelled.

"Shall we demote #4?" the advisor asked.

"Not until I know the results," the overlord replied.

"The results are followed as this report: Zach Regaldi was seen flying out of the building, in standing position, with wings, a respiratory breather, and on top of a reflective board. The flames were in place, and had all gone appropriately by #4. However, an unknown second percussive blast was made, presumably designed somehow by Zach, and ripped the school in half. That is the report," the advisor reported.

"Do not demote #4. He did his job. It's just Mr. Regaldi is more clever than I thought. It's too bad my son couldn't be more like him," the overlord remarked.

"We don't know where he landed, and if he survived at all. All our spies are on the alert," the advisor told him.

"Good. If anyone sees him, kill him at first sight. He must die!" the overlord yelled.

….

"Mr. Ron… You need to look at this…" A.J. Ron's assistant said, while handing him a report.

"Oh no…" Ron moaned.

….

I didn't realize how much the blast's trajectory had launched me horizontally. I was at least several miles away from Heidelberg. Hell, I may even be in DL territory! All I knew is that both Vic and I were in a panic. The Ariados were not done making the parachute, and I had just started to fall.

All of a sudden, I forgot everything. The parachute being made, the bomb, the assassination attempt, Alexis, John, sports, just EVERYTHING. My mind was focused on falling for over ½ a minute. For ½ a minute, I just fell in midair. My mind adjusted when I hear Arceus's call to life.

"The parachute is done! It's in you inventory!" he exclaimed. I acted immediately. I strapped the parachute once it was out onto my back. Soon enough my velocity slowed down greatly. I know what it's like to sky dive now. Unfortunately I was still going incredibly fast. As I kept falling, I saw buildings start to emerge. They were poorly maintained, not well-lit, and starting to crumble. Soon enough, I started screaming as I plummeted towards the tallest building. I hit the concrete incredibly hard.

Two falls from great heights in 3 weeks… Both caused by the Dark Legion… I wondered what was so important to them about me… As my face was picked up from the concrete on top of the sky scraper, the people looked confused of who I was. I was out conscious and brought to a hospital.

I woke up in a dimly lit room with water that wasn't very pure, and a slice of bread with some old meat on it. There wasn't mold or anything, but it did look old. There was a tinge to it.

I was in a hospital. I had no idea which city I was in, but it didn't come off as too friendly. I took the water and sipped it down greedily. I was dehydrated, and hungry, but the sandwich didn't look too appetizing. I saw an old-looking Wigglytuff with a grim look on her face walk in with an afraid Igglybuff come in the room.

"Sir, we need you to answer some questions of ours, if you please," she said with a monotonous tone.

"I would like to know where I am and who you are first," I commanded.

"Please sir, we need to know a few things. If you comply we will answer your questions. We need to know your name, age, date of birth, and place of birth. Then we will answer your questions," she replied with the same monotonous tone.

"I am Zach Regaldi, age 14. I was born January 1st, in Heidelberg Sector C. May I have my answer?" I asked.

"Yes sir. You are in a recovery hospital. You came in from the sky landing face first into the building. You have been out conscious for half an hour. I am just a hospital nurse. This is my daughter," she said eerily. The Igglybuff hid beside her mother.

"Why does this place look so run down?" I asked.

"Look kid. It's why everything looks run down," she said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"For the love of… You're in _Vosa Nov__é_, THAT's why. Now does it make sense?" she questioned.

….

Wow, this chapter took unexplainably long. But I really like this chapter, and think it's the best of the ones yet. I feel very proud of myself, and am happy with how many hits this has gotten.

This story is my most popular by a lot more hits, and more favorites and alerts than the others. So I have to say, thank you very much. I will continue to post out chapters for this story as my life goes on.

I have two other fics on hand. I have confirmed that I will make one more chapter for my other poke-story, and then end it there. Least popular story, least liked story by me. Too bad to anyone who liked it. With my team fortress 2 story, I have 2 chapters left! I will do a chapter for that, and then a chapter for this. After a chapter for this, I finish that up. And voila! DONE! After another chapter of this, I'm going to start up another tf2 story, and this will be a much-more well done one. The reasons why I did not drop the story earlier is for 2 reasons. One, I was very close to the end, and two, it leads into the second story.

I'm going to take it easy, as school is becoming more and more hectic with homework. Every grade gets harder, one after another. Plus, I'm finally on a minecraft server, and having loads of fun with it as well. Tf2 is fine as well.

For the moment, I'm also messing around with Spiral Knights. I find interest in it, and have been playing it as well. Typically I won't be on during school hours. I live on the east coast, so follow its time zone.

Remember to leave a review if you have any advice or if you want to leave a friendly comment. Or you can add this story to your alert or favorites list whenever a new chapter premiers. Check into my homepage for further updates.

~DTH~

(And yes, I do copy pasta the last segment.)


	6. Chapter 6, Vosa Nové

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokemon FanFiction. Chapter 6, Vosa Nové.

Author's Note: Now that I've successfully found out how to do the accent on an English keyboard, its super easy to type Nové! =D I know this took a while, but its freaking 10,000 words to type up. That's, A LOT of words.

This chapter really took effort, so I appreciate any reviews X2, or any other positive remarks. I'm also very content with the popularity of this chapter: a good amount of hits over the rest of my other stories.

Once I get to chapter 8, I will work immediately on chapters 9 and 10, since I'll be done all other fics! After 10, I'm starting a new one. It's planned out.

Anyways, hope you like this chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to pokemon.**

….

_If a place looks like hell, it probably IS._

….

Vosa Nové. It just had to be Vosa Nové.

For anyone who hasn't figured it out, Vosa Nové is an extremely run down cities with mobs and gangsters galore. It's highly watched over by the military, and generally a lot of children do not live there. I've seen several news cases in where there's an extreme bar fight or a mob fight between conflicting clans and it usually doesn't turn out pretty. The place is overrun with poverty and drugs, not to mention the amount of mafia that resides there. The Wigglytuff looked in pretty ugly conditions, and the Igglybuff looked very undernourished. They could tell that I wasn't from around here, in more ways than one.

"So… Is that all?" I asked.

"Well, you're in surprisingly good condition after falling out of the sky. How did that all happen?" she asked.

"It's a very long story…" I moaned. "Anything in specific?"

"No, the worst is a slight bit of bruising along your legs. A few sore spots here and there, but we want to keep you in to just make sure," she said. Oh boy, so I have to wait here even longer. I wasn't really ecstatic about being here, but I was more worried that I was in Vosa Nové itself. It's literally being in hell while on earth. I just smashed my face into my pillow. How had this all started with a fight with a Scizor, to being kidnapped, then falling out of the sky, then going back into the sky, and falling out of the sky again? It seemed stunning in a way.

I wanted to tell myself that it wasn't happening, but with all the recent activities, there's no reason denying it. So I was in Vosa Nové. It would just have to do.

….

"So doctor, what do you want to do with him?" the Wigglytuff asked.

"He's an outsider. He can't be trusted. We need to kill him," the Swampert coldly said.

"I think you're going a bit too far. He's just a kid!" the nurse exclaimed.

"That makes it all the more weird. How weird is it for a 14 year old child to plummet out of the sky, with a parachute, and more off, he's a _RED _Gallade! Does that not spell out that he needs to be rid of? I know just the people to do it to not get blood smeared on our name," he said.

"I don't care if you hire some dark legions to do the job, he just seems harmless," she said.

"Mommy, why are you arguing?" the Igglybuff innocently asked.

"I don't care! He's dying now! End of discussion!" the doctor yelled. He shoved the nurse out of the office.

Just as I thought, a cruel desolate area. I had appeared from the sky, and I'm viewed as a threat. That bit, but I was more mad the doctor's aggressive behavior. I was just going to have to escape. I had been peering in narrowly, using a hyper-sense that Vic had taught me. I could only hear, not see or sense otherwise.

It didn't surprise me that legions were here, as there have been many incidents of them in these areas. I was just worried that one would have a gun. Those things are deadly, and I've seen their power firsthand. What I needed to focus on was escaping. I have had to do certain cases, and these were life-death situations. I didn't see too much difference, instead it wasn't all executed by a legion. Instead it was some dumb doctor who couldn't trust anyone. I didn't blame him too badly though, as he does have reason to be paranoid.

I had a plan ready to go. I needed to go to the bathroom, so I asked the nurse if I could go. Vic had prepared and uploaded a tool that could remove the air vent grill with ease. It seemed somewhat like a crowbar, only small, and made out of a hard metal. Apparently Klinklangs and Aggrons had helped make it.

I removed the grill and climbed in the vent. I had to be sure I didn't make too much noise. My clothes weren't badly tarnished, but the landing had left some marks on my clothes. I slithered through the vent and peered down. At a grill, I saw the doctor's office. The same doctor that wanted me dead. I heard him on the phone.

"Is this the legion agency?" he asked. I heard some mumbling. "Good. I have a patient that I want executing. He fell in from the sky. He's a red Gallade." That had told them enough.

"Oh? Interesting. I'll have a word with him now. I'll note back to you," he said. He hung up. Shit, now he's going to see. I just hoped I could hide form the legionnaires. Whenever they were coming. I kept creeping along the vents until I managed to get lost in them. I occasionally peered beneath a grill to try to gain a clue, but feared that anyone might see me. I made sure I stayed out of sight.

I eventually got to ground floor just when I saw some men walk in. They were both dark types. An Umbreon, and a Zoroark. Kyle was a Zoroark…

Both of them made me twitch a bit inside. I stifled a bit in my position. The doctor came in, greeted them and told them I was in a closet, banded together with rope. He had sent a doctor to come. Just then the nurse Wigglytuff came in, and reported I was missing. The legions said they would find me. I jerked a bit in the vent when they said that.

The Umbreon's ears perked up. He had sensed it.

"Hold it… I heard something in the walls," he said. He threw his nose into the air, and started sniffing. I held my breath for some time. Eventually he gave up. They continued. I breathed a silent sigh, and kept continuing along. I had no idea how long these vents were going to run. It occurred to me that I may not even find an opening. Eventually I kept going deeper until I was in the basement. The basement was like any old clichéd haunted house basement. I fumbled around in the air vents, looking for any possible way to get out. And then I saw the elevator open.

The Umbreon, Zoroark, and Swampert came out. They looked around. I started creeping backwards. I held my breath. I stepped on a grill accidentally and it was loose enough to fall out. The clang had to be noticeable. The Umbreon heard it, while neither of them heard. He rushed to the scene.

"He's in the vents," the Umbreon said. That was fast. Immediately I didn't care what they heard. I just started crawling as quickly as I could through the vents. I heard loud bangs go off, and I started seeing dents pop into the metal of the air ducts. The pings were loud, and I had seen the Umbreon jump up into the vents. I started scrambling through the vents. I heard water start smashing up onto the vents. The Swampert was after me now. I moved through the vents. I looked back at the Umbreon while he was trying to send dark pulses at me. They made no noise fortunately, yet I still got scared off by the noises he was giving off. I kept running forward, ignoring pings in the metal from the Zoroark's gun, or the Swampert's hydro pump, or the Umbreon behind me. I knew somewhere in the basement was the spot I was looking for. It was huge, and metal, and had the most moving parts in the building. The air cooler.

I had eventually found it, and it was huge, just as I hoped. I rushed out to the vents and clung onto the side with the edges of my blades. The Umbreon followed, but I had disappeared from view. He swore, and went the other way. My intentions were greater though. I reclaimed the contraption Vic had teleported to me and I now had in my hand. I saw a key part, and it was the electric energy generator. I had taken engineering, and I had analyzed an air cooler's mechanisms. I knew the generator had a very high-voltage in it, and any conductor's would cause it to malfunction. I just needed a contraption that would take time…

Gears! They moved automatically. I found a nice set of gears that were positioned fine. I would have to escape the area quickly before electrical jolts would quickly carry out over the area. If I made noise, the Umbreon should be jolted. I had the Swampert and Zoroark to deal with then.

I latched the mini-crowbar onto a slow moving gear. I had 40 seconds to get out of the vents. I managed to escape in just that time, while the Umbreon was still in it. I heard a loud yell, and it came from the vents. It was constant, and then stopped.

"Jason? JASON!" the Zoroark panicked. His best friend had gone silent. That meant one was down. Two more to go. The Swampert was to be dealt with last. I knew I had a spare parachute and mini-crowbar, as well as various other items at my disposal. I would just have to get crafty. Books were hard, and they could do damage. If I strapped the mini-crowbar to a book, and had it point down, it might just be lethal. But that meant getting back into the vents. Or did it?

While they panicked, I had set up a mechanism. The room was spacious for one, so I had to take advantage. Using the net from the silk parachute, I designed a powerful slingshot. I was on the far end away from the two men. I had a book with a mini-crowbar strapped to its underside ready to shoot. I aimed perfectly, and released. The book went flying across the room, hit the ceiling, and then fell. The last thing the Zoroark saw was a dagger ended mini-crowbar strapped to the bottom of a book flying directly at his face. It struck into his head and flew right in there. He yelled very loud. He was paralyzed. Probably dead.

"Okay… I get the point! Just go! Get out of here!" the doctor yelled. So I would leave with honor. It felt good. I took the elevator back up and left.

I had a first glance at Vosa Nové. It was a lot to take in.

….

"I suggest giving up efforts in Mr. Regaldi's course. He's done an exceptional job already, but I think he's dead on this one Mr. Ron," the advisor told him.

"It just doesn't seem right. The taping didn't seem proper. If it was just a regular old combustion surely nothing would have exploded!" he exclaimed.

"Mr. Ron, my advice is that you wait, or give up. If he somehow lived, then why would he be anywhere OTHER than the school?" the advisor asked.

"Just let me think! Okay?" he asked.

"Yes sir," the advisor said as he left the room. Ron still had a hunch that Zach Regaldi was alive, somewhere.

….

I decided to take a stroll down a main avenue of Vosa Nové. It had a lot of people just walking mindlessly. Of course most of the crowd turned their heads towards me. They might wonder who I was. I generally looked like an adult-teenager sort of person. I'm somewhat tall for my age, but I'm also quite skinny for a Gallade. The way to put me as physical would be wiry, and tall.

I tried to find a restaurant, but I remembered I had no money. I may just have to go hungry… Which would definitely suck.

I still tried to replay what had been going on in my mind. With all the recent events occurring, I had almost forgot about everything at school. Vic was asleep, considering I had been asleep at the hospital. I had a technique for waking him up. I walked into a nearby building, found the bathroom there. When I was in there, I just spun myself over and over again. It would cause him to wake up. Sure enough, after a few spins.

"Agh, what is it? Where are you?" he asked.

"In a building in Vosa Nové. I need to explain what has happened recently," I said. I told him the whole story about how the owner of the hospital wanted to kill me so he hired two Dark Legions. I told him how I managed to best them, and narrowly avoided death in many times. Everything in the vents. I decided to walk out at a good time so it wouldn't be suspicious if I was taking too long in the bathroom.

I left the building and found another one that said, "Apartment Rental". I could in theory manage to sneak into said apartment. I looked until the coast was clear, and then had slipped in.

The front doors hardly made a noise, while the desk manager was interested in a magazine he was reading. Soon enough, he felt something odd. A sort of sleepy sense over coming him. Shortly after, he was asleep with no one to witness what had happened. I had learned hypnosis a while ago, and I like to mess around with it at times. I saw a key on his belt that said "Room Key Lock". I knew that the room keys would be locked, so I had to use the key to open a case that HAD the room key. They go through a lot of security measures here at Vosa Nové. It makes sense to me though. I took the operator's key and looked for a case. Just then I saw two figures at the door, and I decided to duck completely down. They were dark legions, I could tell. One was a Houndoom, and the other was a Luxray. The Luxray looked very shady.

"I thought you said his sense was here. No one is here," the Luxray said.

"Whatever 4. Let's just search the place top from bottom before we get out of here. Something that tells me he was here is that the operator is out cold. Probably Regaldi's work," the Houndoom said. He called the Luxray 4… Good lord…

Fortunately I had been fitted into a spot where they couldn't track my scent: In the radiators. I had managed to get out and into the radiators quick enough before they could spot my scent.

They left to go check out the rooms and see if I was in any. I waited a good minute until it was clear I could make my get away. I jumped down from the shaft and the operator had woken up. He saw me and his face was clearly shocked. I just stared at him for a second and left. He tried to go back to reading his magazine.

So I'm being hunted… That is not a good sign. I still want to know what the dark legion wants with me. And how come I've seen four dark legions here? One of them is even number 4 in the legionnaire army! I thought they were trying to kidnap me, but I guess they just want me dead now.

Just then at the corner of my eye I saw a baseball flying at my head. I grabbed it in an instant.

"Hey mister! Can we please have our baseball back?" I heard a young voice ask. It was a Pansear.

"Yes. I have a question for you as well," I said. They could tell that I was around their age, but still a bit older.

"Do you know the first way out of town? I'm an outsider," I asked the Pansear. His friends, a Panpour and a Grovyle came over.

"Woah… slow down. You're an outsider, and an adult? Our guardian doesn't want us talking to those Max," the Grovyle said.

"I'm not an adult. In fact, I'm only 14," I said. The Grovyle just realized that I was lost as well.

"Are you looking for a home?" the Panpour asked.

"I want to know how to get out of here. I need to get in contact also with an Avenger soldier as well, if possible," I asked.

"Here, we'll show you to our guardian. Also, be polite, and don't show your inner soft side. She is not the kind of person to take things lightly, especially with someone like you," the Grovyle said.

He showed me in.

….

"King, are you sure Zach Regaldi is in Vosa Nové?" a soldier asked.

"Yes. He escaped from the explosion and landed there. Numbers 409 and 418 had been assigned a job to assassinate a "red Gallade". As far as I know they're dead," the leader of the dark legion said.

"I still suggest giving up effort. If number 4 or number 582 didn't catch him, where else would he be?" the soldier questioned.

….

"Madame Lauren, we have someone that you need to see," the Grovyle said.

"Hold on Quinn, I'll be there in a second," I heard a voice call out. I couldn't quite tell what, or who she was until she had seen me.

Ironically enough, she was a Gardevoir. I was alerted for a sec, but I saw a ring on her ring finger. I wanted to sigh, but I remembered what "Quinn" had said. "Don't show your inner soft side."

"A red Gallade? I hardly knew those existed," she said, stern.

"I need to know the easiest, and quickest route out of here. As you might have heard, I am not from this city," I said.

"Oh really then? _Where _are you from then?" she instigated.

"I come from a town called Heidelberg, about 2 hours from here by car," I said.

"Why'd you end up here then?" she questioned. Give me a break, woman.

"You'll think its crazy…" I moaned.

"No crazier than a 14-year old Gallade that's red poppin' up in Vosa Nové out of nowhere," she said.

"How do y-" I wanted to ask. But she cut me off.

"I'm not a typical Gardevoir. My senses are heightened. I've had it from birth," she said. "As for your question, good luck finding a way out that isn't blocked off by some Legions. They've prevented any of us getting out of Vosa Nové in the first place. I also will only tell you the person you should look for if you want a secret way out. But only if you tell me who you are first."

"Ugh… Fine. My name is Zach Regaldi. I may seem like an average 14-year old Gallade, but I am a very good battler. Due to some turns of events, I was launched by an explosion that had sent me flying here. I landed on the roof of a hospital where they took me in, but tried to kill me. I fortunately escaped," I answered.

"Hm… I wonder what dark legions want with you," she said. The three boys gasped when they heard that.

"It may be impossible for you to get out unless you want to fight your way through Dark Legions. Do you still want to escape?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered once more.

"Okay. You're pressing your luck kid, but there's a bar in the central of the town. A man who works there is a Gallade. He's my husband. He knows a way to get out, but you have to follow his lead. He's gotten a few people and kids out of Vosa Nové before, but there isn't always a happy ending. There have been deaths trying to escape," she told me.

"His name is Sean. Tell him that you want to escape, and that Lauren briefed you on the dangers of getting out. He'll know," she said.

"Thanks. Do you have a map to get to the central of the town by any chance?" I asked.

"Yes," she said handing me a map. I saw a red marker that draws a path there.

All of a sudden she perked up. A grim look crossed her face.

"Kids, run to daddy," she said.

"What?" the Pansear asked.

"Just run! Follow the Gallade!" she yelled. All of a sudden a Houndoom and Luxray jumped through the window. "I'll hold them off! Take them to my husband!" The three boys started crying.

"Mommy!" the Pansear yelled.

"No time. Say your last goodbyes!" I yelled.

"There won't be any goodbyes," the Luxray yelled. He howled just as a massive thunderbolt struck the center of the house. I had already dashed off before the bolt struck. I took a last look through the window and I saw the Gardevoir get bound up by some sort of flame rope. I grabbed the children, put them on my shoulders, and dashed as fast as I could away from the house.

….

"So Mrs. Lauren. You seem to have guided yourself into a whole new world of torture," the Houndoom said.

"I'd rather die than let you lay a hand on my children," the Gardevoir argued.

"We're not interested in your children. We're interested in the teenager guiding them to your husband," the Luxray said.

"What do you want with him?" I asked.

"Nothing. We want to know where your husband is instead. Give us the name of the bar, and the address," the Luxray countered.

"I'll never do that," she yelled.

"*Sigh* oh we can do this many ways," the Luxray said. He picked up a small handheld circle. It had a peculiar design on it. He pressed it up onto the Gardevoir's face.

"Do you know what this is?" he said. Suddenly the Gardevoir was unable to breathe. She tried and tried, but to no avail. "That's right, it stalls the transmission of oxygen. Our scientists have been hard at work creating such a device. It only works on Psychic types as a matter of fact. So, all you do is nod if you want to tell us where your husband is." The Gardevoir wouldn't speak. After 30 seconds, they took it off.

"I'll… never *pant* tell you where he is…" she moaned.

"Oh you will. We'll just have to do trial and error," the Luxray said. When she saw the circle coming, she took a deep breath.

"Don't resist. It's futile!" the Houndoom roared. They kept it on that time until she passed out.

"She's too tough. We'll never be able to break through," the Houndoom said.

"She might not be able. But I know someone that does. You go searching Vosa Nové for Mr. Regaldi. I know someone outside of town that does," the Luxray said. He took off, leaving the Houndoom and Gardevoir alone.

"Are you going to let me free or not?" she asked.

"Maybe. You're quite the fighter, so I have a different idea," the Houndoom said. He took out a gun. "If I pull this trigger, you will die, and nothing will happen. Or you tell me where they are. I don't usually do things like this, but this is a drastic time. Tell me where your husband is, or you will die!"

"I'll never. Just shoot!" she yelled.

"A wise answer!" the Houndoom said. He shot the gun and the sharpened end of the bullet went right through her head. She didn't even yell.

….

It was impossible to keep the kids from crying. I had no hope that she was alive. That Houndoom is strong. It's impossible to beat him. I just told them to follow me. I answered any questions they had. After 10 minutes the crying had stopped. Their spirits were dampened, but I told them things will be fine if they just followed me.

I didn't know too much about Vosa Nové. But I know they have a motto. I learned it from a kid who had lived in Vosa Nové, but escaped with his family. The motto is if a person you're about to kill killed someone you liked, or possibly loved. The motto is: You take a life, you give a life.

I assume that is what would course through the Gallade's mind when I tell him what happened. He'll be enraged sure enough. I kept following the highlighted route.

After 10 minutes of walking I decided to take a closer look at the scale. I knew Vosa Nové was a huge city, but I may have underestimated its size. Now that I closely look at it, an inch on the map isn't a kilometer. It's 3 kilometers… And the path is almost 6 inches long. That meant I would have to go about 18 miles… I was starting to give up hope. However, something rejuvenated me from my dark state.

The look on the kids' faces… They broke my heart. It was complete despair, sorrow, and doubt. Not to mention being scared out of their mind. It was the only thing that kept me going even when they whined, or cried, or even asked me to carry them on their shoulders. I did whatever they wanted, even if it was unreasonable. I never said something that upset them.

After about 4 hours of walking it was almost 7:30. I checked in a window and saw the time. I saw a street performer of an Alakazam and two Kadabra performing by him. They were messing around with fire. I told the kids that we should go that way for a small break. I had walked about 12 miles on end, and my strength was starting to loosen up. I brought them over and they were immediately involved. The crowd around them was made up of at least 40 people, all watching in awe and even some fright, as they threw flaming ropes in a fashion that made rings of fire hovering over the Alakzam's face. They even swallowed fire and traded it by spitting flaming gasoline at each other, or something flammable that would extinguish in their mouths. It was quite a sight. It was impressive how well trained they are. People were throwing them loads of Poké, not to mention other various means of change.

At the end of the show, everyone shouted, "Bravo! Incredible!" and other means of praise. I just simply clapped my hands. I went up to the Alakazam and told him something.

"I would give you a nice wealth of money, but I have none," I said.

"It is the sincerest of apologies that you have given me. Many of the people here will not spare a single poké for our act, but we praise those who do. You look quite young; and quite unusual must I say. May I invite you for some food?" he asked.

"Ooh! I'm starving!" the Grovyle said.

"Me too!" the Panpour added.

"There's enough for all of you and me, as well as my assistants," the Alakazam said. He rallied us to his house, which was part of a beat-up apartment building. It was empty, but he brought us up to a room that seemed in better shape than any place in Vosa Nové I've seen before.

He had made a cut of Miltank meat, and had enough to feed everyone. He gave me the largest piece.

"Aren't you going to have more for yourself?" I asked him.

"No thank you, but it is a kind offer. I can go an entire day off of just one ounce. As for my previous question, just how old are you?" he asked.

"Yeah, and what's with da skin?" said one of the Kadabras.

"My age may surprise you. I'm actually fourteen, and I live far from here," I said.

"Then how'd you end up here? And what are da kids doin' with ya?" the same Kadabra asked.

"Calm down Launer. I will do the asking. What are these younger kids following under your lead?" the Alakazam asked. The Kadabra made a grump noise.

"It's a long story… I'd prefer not to share it with the kids. Can we go somewhere else and talk about it?" I asked the Alakazam.

"Sure. Launer, Jorge, look after them please," the Alakazam pleaded. He walked into a separate room that was dark, and then brought me through another series of passages. Eventually, we ended up in the top floor of the apartment house. It was very dark, but he had a flashlight.

"So, you are fourteen, and you live off in a distance. How has it come to this?" he asked.

"It all started a long time ago; about 5 weeks. I was fighting a kid at my school, and he was a particular challenge. He had done a number on me, and it turns out, he was a young dark legionnaire," I said. He looked interested when I mentioned the dark legion.

"After that things started to calm down, but then I was kidnapped by two dark legions. A Honchkrow and a Bisharp," I told him.

"Is that why you're here?" he asked.

"No. That's for later. They brought me all the way to Cortia city, and hijacked a helicopter to bring me to the dark legions. I had managed to free myself, and had to fight the legions. I managed to stab one while they weren't looking, and the other, I shot him in the head," I mentioned. He knew what he meant when I said shot.

"A gun. I see," he noted.

"However, the controls were fucked up, and the plane crashed down into Post 21-AA. Apparently they were looking for me. AJ Ron and Commander Jack was there; the 3rd highest ranked general of the Avengers. They wanted to know what had happened," I said.

"Impressive. I see you have quite a bit for yourself. It's hard to believe, but your aura backs it up. Something about your aura is different though; something I haven't seen in anyone else's," he started. I was worried he would figure out the V-Seal.

"It's a hunch, but I can't figure it out. Go on," he ended. I wanted to sigh, but that would give it away.

"I recovered, and managed to live somehow. Things went well for four weeks, but then something happened that was set up by a Dark Legion. I think it was meant to kill me, and somehow they knew I hadn't died. Someone snuck in and set up an inferno behind the school's nose. When I went to get an extra bite in the cafeteria, the entire room I was in erupted into flames. The flames were hot enough to smelt the iron in the cafeteria, and the flames were closing in fast. I was come over with a ludicrous idea, but it had to work. I had gathered a load of oxygen tanks, and fit them under a board. They had flammable wood on them, and I took a plastic rack and sat on it. Soon enough, the tanks exploded and sent me flying. Apparently I flew far enough from the explosion and landed on a rooftop in Vosa Nové. I was brought to hospital, where they tried to kill me, but I narrowly escaped, killing two dark legions that the hospital manager hired to kill me. I then wandered the streets and found these three playing around. I asked them if there was a way out, and they brought me to their adopted mother. She told me that her husband secretly gets people out of Vosa Nové; all he has to do is get me to an Avenger soldier stationed on the outskirts. However, out of nowhere, a Luxray and a Houndoom, both working for the legion, drop in and try to kill me. However, I dashed before they could. Arceus knows what they did to the mother, but it has to be bad. They're hunting me sure enough. I wandered to where she had directed me, and I saw you when I was walking along. It's about 6 miles away; where I need to get to," I told. He was almost astonished. But instead, he cleared his throat.

"You've lived more of a life in 5 weeks than I have in 25 years. Where are you going to?" he asked. I took out a map and told him.

"That's about 5 miles to go. Best of luck on your journey my friend, and hopefully you will arrive safe," he said.

"He won't be arriving safe. Plus, both of your lives have been interesting enough," I heard a voice say. I recognized it from the hospital. I turned around and saw a Zoroark that was missing an eye. I was taken back for a second. He had lived.

"You're going to pay what you did to me in that hospital, and it's costing you your life! You took 3 lives, but you'll only give 1! How inconvenient!" he yelled. He shot off a bullet and I just deflected it with my arm. The Alakazam was surprised. So was the Zoroark.

"How did you-" the Alakazam started. Just then he was interrupted by several gunshots. I took out a freezing barrier and blocked all of them. The Zoroark was paralyzed with fear. I knew what I was going to do. The Alakazam already saw me beat a gun; so it didn't matter whether he saw the Flame Fury attack. I took energy from my heart, channeled it to my spike, and then my arm. My arm lit up, and had lit up the entire room as well. My arm was suddenly an inferno.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yelled as I charged at him. I hit him full on with the attack, and sent him flying out of the building. He smashed through the window and fell out of the sky. The flame slowly extinguished on my arm, and then I felt tired.

"Mind if I sleep here?" I asked.

"Um… yes… I guess?" he asked, with a tint of unsureness.

"Thanks. There are some things better left secret," I told him. He led me to a bed where I got some sleep.

….

POV Switch To Anonymous

….

I had just finished another poster when I heard a knock on the door. I went to see who it was. It was a Luxray. I decided to open the door.

"Don't move. Tell me about Zach Regaldi," he said, pointing some sort of handheld device at me.

"An aggressive on eh? No matter," I said.

….

A bright sun greeted me. Looks like there wasn't any smog today. I was feeling a bit better.

Today I was taking the three kids to their dad's place. The Alakazam is supplying me with some food. He also gave me 6 water bottles. I thanked him and went on my way.

Fortunately it was only about 4 miles till the bar. I was starting to get excited.

I decided to be a bit more social with the kids, so I tried to get to know them better. They were a friendly bunch, but they were reluctant to give away too much information.

After an hour of walking I had a mile left. I almost wanted to run, but stopped because of the kids. One of them asked a question, so I turned to answer. I unexpectedly wandered into a Beartic.

"Oh sorry!" I apologized.

"Watch where you're going kid. Or else I might have to beat you into a pulp," he said. I backed away a bit, and he just kept walking. Maybe not all the people here are such desperate people…

I had managed to finally get to the place marked on the map. It looked like a pub, and it was called, "The Free Man's Bar". I saw lights on inside the place, and the boys were getting excited, so I wasted no time getting in. When I walked in I saw several men drinking and playing games. My attention was drawn to the man working the bar. A Gallade. Probably the one I'm looking for, so I go up to him.

"Ah hello sonny! What can I get for ya?" he asks.

"Nothing. It's just them," I answered, pointing to his children. When he sees them a smile comes across his face. The children immediately run up to him and try to pile on him. I smiled.

"Wow! Thanks! What are they doing here?" he asks.

"Actually, I need to talk to you private. Concerning Lauren," I said. His eyes widened.

"Okay. Just let me tell my co-owner to take over. This may be a bit. Boys, come with me," he said. I decided to just sit at the bar, when a Machamp comes over.

"HEYA! JUST WANNA KNOW WHY YOUR SKINS RED EH?" he yells. He was trying to talk regular, but he wasted, so he was really just shouting.

"It's just a gene disfunction. Nothing else," I said.

"GENE EH? I'M NOT A ROCKET SURGEON, SO I DON'T KNOW JACK SHIT 'BOUT THAT KIND OF STUFFS," he said. I tried hard not to laugh, or smile for that matter.

"HERES ONE ON ME!" he yells handing me a beer.

"No thanks. I don't drink," I said. I tried to seem adult, but only sober people realized that. He kept budging at me, until I actually had to shove him out of the way.

"Hey come on kid! Don't ya know how to hang loose?" an Arcanine said. All the drunk people started to join in. The sober ones started to leave.

"Uh… I'm going to go to the bathroom. Be right back," I said. I dashed to the bathroom. I heard loud whooping until I almost started to hear like attacks being thrown. Just when I had "finished" going to the bathroom, I get up and a chair comes flying through the door. It took me by surprise. I dared to look through the doorway, and the entire bar had erupted into a fight.

"HEY!" the Machamp yelled looking at me. He grabbed me and threw me at the Arcanine.

"HEY WATCHIT!" he yelled at me. Before I knew it he tried to hit me with a Flamethrower, just before I used a mach-punch to get him away.

"Motherf-" I said, before I was cut off by having to dodge a flying glass cup, that hit the Arcanine behind me. I tried escaping the crowd, but I was getting blocked by many of the men at the bar. I tried escaping through the crowd by crawling under, before I knew this wouldn't work after getting stomped on about 15 times. I eventually just used a chair as a battering ram, and managed to escape. I went through a door, and stacked a chair. I saw a small hallway with some rooms around. I saw one that said "Manager's Office".

I opened up and I saw the Gallade talking to an Armaldo. The noises from the fight were clear.

"Bar fight?" they asked.

"Yep," I answered.

"Watch the kids. We'll be taking this," he said. He picked up an air horn and went into the bar. He closed the door shut and honked the horn for a long time.

"STOP FIGHTING ALL OF YOU, OR I'LL USE EARTHQUAKE!" the Gallade yelled. Things eventually returned to normal. Only the Gallade came back that time.

"Sorry, so what is so important, and how did you meet my wife," he asked. I looked a bit sad for a second. Unfortunately his face went grim.

"No…" he started.

"It's true… Dark legions were hunting me. They found me when I was at her house," I told him with a grim tone.

"NOO!" he yelled extremely loud. He started crying.

"Just… leave me alone for a while! I'll tell you when we can talk later…" he moaned. I could see tears streaking down his face. I left the room.

It was another good hour before he told me that he was ready. His eyes were bloodshot.

"How… did you meet her?" he asked.

"Your kids were playing out in the street. Baseball. The ball came towards me, so I asked the opportunity if I could get a way out of here," he said.

"So my wife… told you to come here… okay… I understand. At night time I'll help you escape. I understand it all. Why are the dark legions hunting you though?" he asked.

"I don't know either. Something about me though sets me out from the rest, I'm sure. I've killed two of them, out of the four that have assaulted me," I told him.

"Jeez… How old… *sniff* are you?" he asked. He still was mourning.

"14 actually. I can't really explain how I killed them. I just need to get out of here. I live outside the city," I told him.

"Okay. I can help you. You're going to need to follow me once it is 7:00. My friend will watch the bar until I return. If I die, he knows that it his responsibility to find the kids a guardian, and watch the bar. What you need to do is get in my car, and I'll drive you to a building. It'll be a 7 minute drive. We're going to head up this building until we're at the roof. There will be some communication wires latching to the building before the blockade of the legions. Sometimes we're spotted, sometimes we're not. How you have to cross the building is nerve racking, but it's the only way. You're going to be suspended by a hook that is attached to the wire. You need to move yourself along the wire until you're at the building. From there, disconnect the cable. Then you need to get a wire on that building and throw it down to the building across the street. Once you do that, hook up again, and slide down. If you do that, run as fast as you can in the direction you have been going in, until you see a gate with security. Those are Avenger soldiers, and they'll see you through. I'll be guiding you along the way," he said.

"Got it. At 7:00, yes?" I asked.

"Yep. Now leave me alone, I need to relax," he said. I left and he closed his eyes. I can only imagine what sort of hell he's in. It may just be worse than my hell.

….

"Mr. Ron, you may want to look at this," Commander Jack told A.J. Ron. It was a taping of a news show.

"In Vosa Nové, some controversy shows up when a Zoroark falls out of a thirty story building, by an eruption of flames. The source of the eruption is unkown. We can tell he was burned harshly by some source. The occupants of the building are unknown, but bystanders said that there was an act of an Alakazam and Kadabra, in where they were doing a fire dance. They left with a Gallade heading into the apartment building, but we do not know who the Gallade is."

"You're kidding. That's Zach Regaldi. Has to be," A.J. Ron said.

"Shall I send a force to rescue him?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but don't penetrate the legion's blockade. I have a feeling that will make things worse," Ron said. "Take this with you. Pull the lever in order to kill someone at a faraway distance," Ron said, while handing Jack a pistol.

"Thank you sir," he said. That ended the conversation as Commander Jack left the room.

"How is it possible though?" Ron asked himself.

….

7:00. The prime time, as we all liked to call it. Many things that mattered in history, oddly enough happened at 7:00. It's the irony time as some call it.

And this was life or death, but it had to work. It was ludicrous; foolish practically. The Gallade said that it had worked only a number of times out of 15 attempts.

I was sitting in his beaten-up, yet functioning car. It had a number of dents and scratches, and yet it somehow still functioned. His face was stone-cold, without saying a word along the entire drive. He was thinking deeply, and I could tell it was about his wife. A small bit of tenderness and sorrow was in his eyes, covered by the diamond hard layer of his expression.

After a few minutes of driving, we stopped and turned into an indoor parking lot.

"This is it. We have to go to the top floor in stealth. There's been one failure that almost costed me and the escapee's life. It's an important part of this escape," he said. I just nodded.

"Follow my lead, and we should be okay," he noted. I followed his lead. He locked his car, and we started going through the parking lot. We were the only ones there, excluding a few wild Rattata and Minccino. They were scoundreling the lot the lot for scraps. He directed me towards an elevator. We got in it and he pressed the top floor.

"I have to press the alarm. Put these in," he directed me. They were earplugs. I put them in.

"Ready?" I asked.

"I'm ready," he answered. He pressed the button, and the elevator lights immediately started flashing. The top of the elevator hatch opened up.

"Up this way!" he yelled. He jumped up the hatch. I jumped up, and he helped me get up on to the top of the elevator. "We have to climb the elevator cable. These magnetic gloves will help." He held out a pair of gloves that had tiny magnets lined on them. I slipped them on and he jumped on the cable. I slowly started following his lead.

About a minute in we heard a loud clang. We were ¾ up the way of the shaft.

"What was that?" I asked. He used flash and illuminated the shaft.

"SHIT! CLIMB!" he yelled. The elevator was going up. He started climbing three times as fast as he was earlier. I was climbing just as fast as he was. The elevator was roaring upwards, too fast.

"Get out at this floor! We can make it!" he yelled. We climbed up. He jumped and clang onto a set of elevator doors. The elevator box was just a mere inch away from my foot when I jumped. But I hadn't jumped far enough. I was about to plummet down, just as I felt a hand clutch mine. He had barely caught me. He hauled me up, and I clung onto the elevator doors.

"Now what?" I asked.

"We make our own way through," he said. He used Hammer Arm to smash open the doors. Fortunately the floor had no one occupying it. We walked in. There were little lights; the only illumination was the small excess from the flash he had used. We kept walking until we found some stairs. We were on floor 43 of 59.

"16 more floors. Hope you like stair steppin', as we're doing a ton of it now," he said. We slowly started climbing up the stairs, and eventually we made it to floor 59.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Simple!" he exclaimed. He mach-punched the ceiling, and a hole opened up. "I don't know why they repair this hole all the time, considering its always in the same spot if it does appear." We jumped onto the roof. It was a large building, and I saw the latch with the cable. He picked it up, and threw it to the building across the street. I looked down and saw a tenth of a mile down. It's not the first time I had looked down from such a high height up. He took out a hook of some sort, and it had a swing-like seat under it.

"Keep your nerves while doing this. If you fall off, it's 600 feet to the ground. You'll be suspended from the cable I shot over there," he told me. He hooked up the contraption. I started now to actually get scared. But, it's better than getting killed by a Dark Legion isn't it?

I had started to move myself along the cable. It was a good minute until I finally had actually gotten clear off the roof. I looked down and saw a rush of people and cars at the bottom of the street.

"What are you waiting for? The more time you waste, the more scary this gets!" he yelled. I had to practically force myself to keep moving myself along the wire. I took it slowly, making sure I wouldn't fall of the tiny seat. It definitely wasn't large enough to keep me stable for a long time. About every 20 seconds, I made a push to slightly move myself farther. I'm surprised no one has noticed, but who would notice something like this when it's 600 feet in the air? I felt like spitting and seeing if anything happened.

About 10 minutes had been wasted, and I was only a third of the way across. The Gallade started looking more and more impatient. I wanted to apologize, but I was too focused on other matters.

Another 6 minutes had gone by, and I was in the middle of the air. Literally; the cable couldn't have been wider than 2 inches. The Gallade had practically fallen asleep. The sky was dark black now. I was starting to lose my cool, but I couldn't turn back now. I had gotten halfway across, so it's just as risky to keep going as it would be to head back.

All of a sudden, I hear a door smash open, and the Gallade is thrown off his feet. A dark figure emerges from the door… It's the Houndoom. How did he find out we were here?

"Who the hell are you?" the Gallade asked.

"None of your business. This is between me and Mr. Regaldi," he said.

"I'll make it my business!" he yelled. He just then jump tackled the Houndoom and tried using hammer arm on him. The next thing I saw was an eruption of flames coming from beneath him. He was thrown up into the air and was smashed down onto the ground.

My heart felt like it was going to pump out of my chest at any second. I started to frantically try to maneuver myself to the other side. I couldn't tell whether the Gallade was dead.

When I turned around his foot was on the hook that kept the cable bound to the other building. He howled and then jumped without fear onto the cable. Not even losing his balance. I decided to jolt the cable so he would have to keep his balance steady. It gave me time, so I launched a night slash at him. A psycho cut wouldn't do anything. He dodged narrowly, and I gave the cable an even harder shake. Before the dog knew it, he was hanging from the cable with one paw. But this was a tough one; he climbed back up onto the cable and started to creep towards me. He was hasty though now, making sure he didn't miss a step. Hanging free with one paw must have really alerted him to the threat of being above the ground about 600 feet. I had gotten myself out of the seat and on the cable. It was a tightrope fight in hell. He constantly launched a Flamethrower attack at me, and tried to use dark pulse as well. I managed to dodge each attack, but I was starting to lose balance. I almost went over. I had to take a risk. It was a big one.

I charged straightforward at him and jumped over a fire blast. I used mach-punch and hit him directly with it. It took him off guard and he was thrown over the edge. 600 feet of air and then a solid impact with the ground. I've seen it before. I jumped back over to the other side of the cable with the Gallade still there. His spike wasn't black, but his legs were fading.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Where… did the Houndoom go?" he asked.

"600 feet of air and then into ground. I assume he's dead," I said.

"Wow… You're nuts kid. When are you going to try and get over?" he asked.

"I think I'll tightrope it. Honestly, it's faster. I still will need a hook for the downward glide," I noted. He gave me a hook that I would latch onto the second cable. It was already lined out the other one. I walked across the cable without fail and saw the final wire. Only 700 feet of wire, 400 feet of air, and a building were the obstacles in my way of escaping this wretched town. I crossed to the other building and hooked up to the second cable. I've done zip lining, and it is quite fun. I glided through the air and landed on the last building without flaw. I saw a large, barb-wired fence. The exit gate. I saw a post nearby the gate. There had to be an Avenger there.

I walked up and saw that there was a Infernape manning the desk.

"Hey! Mr. Infernape! I need to speak to you!" I called out, as I was running up to him.

"What is it?" he asked. "We don't get many people around here."

"Exactly. I need to get in contact with A.J. Ron," I said.

"Wha- Why? He's the our leader?" he asked.

"JUST LET ME DO IT!" I yelled at him. He let me through and I looked up contacts. I saw Ron's name, so I clicked on it. The phone rang.

….

The phone rang, from the primary post at Vosa Nové. What could it be this time? I picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is A.J. Ron, you have called?" I asked.

"Ah! Thank Arceus! Ron, it's me, Zach Regaldi. I'm here at Vosa Nové, and I need an escort to get back to Heidelberg. I'll tell you about it the next time I see you!" he called.

"Alright. I'll deploy a unit," I said. I hung up the phone. "JACK! SEND AN ESCORT UNIT TO VOSA NOVÉ AND BRING ZACH REGALDI BACK HERE!"

"He's alive? Wow! I'll do so immediately sir!" Jack replied. How was he alive?

….

About an hour later I saw a beige military van pull up. I saw Commander Jack inside of it. He smiled when he saw me.

"Well I'll be. How'd you do it son?" he asked.

"You'll find out. You'll find out in due time," I told him. I was finally in good hands.

We drove an hour back to Post 21-AA. I saw A.J. Ron and told him about everything. How I lived, what happened at Vosa Nové, and I did tell him about the V-Seal. Apparently he didn't know about it, but I could trust him with that secret. He's "never told a lie" and "keeps his word". It's what people often said about Ron.

The next day I was sent back home. They conjured up a somehow viable excuse to how I lived, and apparently they bought it! (Of course I told Brian that it was all fake, and told him the real story of how I ended up at Vosa Nové.) My parents practically smothered me when I walked in the door. They treated me with the highest respect I've been treated in years. I said I wanted to go over to John's house. I told him about the story, and how I had lived. He had a hard time regaining his senses when he first saw me.

"I thought you were dead!" he yelled.

"I would expect that reaction. I'll tell you how I'm still here," I replied. Of course I told him all about Vosa Nové. The only part of the story that I left out was everything with the deal about the Gardevoir and Gallade. Even then my heart still ached, because I saw a bit of myself in the Gallade. I wasn't sure what to think, but I had to erase it from my mind. I could only hope that the Gallade is having fun, playing with his kids while managing the bar, and possibly helping someone escape Vosa Nové. I could only hope the best for him.

It seemed that things were just about returning to normal. My parents went back to caring me, I still shared some secrets with my brother, and I regularly went over to John's house to do certain things.

And then I had to go back to school.

….

You'll find out how this ends as a cliffhanger once I get to chapter 7. Also, for any of those who noticed that I have the finishing chapter for my other story next, that would mean I start the devoted writing at chapter 7. Guess what? I made a fiction press account, and I want to write a chapter for that after I do chapter 7 of this. So sorry, but you'll have to wait awhile until this story is going to rapid speed update.

This story is also going to slow down as far as action scenes go. I took out a lot of action feeling on chapters 5 and 6, so I'm kind of dried up when it comes to thinking about action scenes. This chapter took a tremendous amount of effort compared to the others, considering I had less work time. I had to squeeze in major amounts of writing time, in key parts, and yet I only had about 20 minute sessions. I can now let out an exhausted sigh now that this is done. I won't be updating for a while.

*Sighs Heavily*

Well, the new chapter is going to premier probably in a month or so… So I can't say too much. I really need to relax since school is getting a bit rough, not to mention my own personal life. I can't work over the weekend since I'm too busy. Plus, most spare time will be gaming. I really am winding down. Probably around Christmas time I'll be getting a lap top (or so I hope), which will massively increase writing rate. Hell, a chapter of this may take 5 days! I'm tired, I'm exhausted, and I'm done with writing for a while now. I'm marking myself as on break, and my avatar will be a whale until further notice. I'll see any non-believers in hell.

If you have any positive feedback, I'd be glad to hear it! If you have negative, keep it to yourself. If you want to know quickly whether this story is updated, just favorite this story, or add it to your alert list. Or for that matter, if you like any other of my stories, you can add me to the favorite or alert list.

Thank you for reading, and I'll have the next chapter out as fast as possible!

~DTH~


	7. Chapter 7, Dysfunctional Life

Zach's Years, A Pokemon FanFiction. Chapter 7, Dysfunctional Life

Author's Note: Alrighty. In case you don't check into my homepage if you are a frequent viewer, I now have a lap top, which makes writing this about 10X easier. So chapters should come out MUCH faster.

This chapter seemed more of a filler at start, but I forgot a part that made this one of the most important chapters so far. I am very pleased in how it came out.

An Extra Note: In case you didn't figure it out already, this is NOT a bright story. It is dark, but that's for later in the story. At the moment it isn't too bad… At the moment. Also pay attention to the italicized parts as they do relate to the chapter most of the time.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Pokemon. This will get old, FAST.**

…

_People returning from space have trouble moving their muscles since they have not had to use them for a long time due to their being no gravity. This sort of situation applies to MANY things._

…

I ran down the stairs in a race of my life. The Mandibuzz was chasing me for my blood; it wasn't even speaking English. It finally outran me, and it pounced on top of me. It roared extremely low. It then covered my head in its menacing beak. It started to pinch harder and harder, until I felt a crack in my neck.

"AAAAAAGH!" I yelled loud enough to wake up Brian. A nightmare? I hadn't had this in a month… Quickly Brian burst into the room with a club.

"WHO'S THERE?" he panicked. He knew about my issue with the Dark Legion, after all. I was panting extremely heavy. The taste of sweat was bitterly salty in my mouth. I felt immersed in a shower of my own sweat. The blankets would have looked the same if they had been in a bathtub. Still trying to catch my breath after that horrifying dream, I was panting harder than the previous nightmares.

"Zach, you seem troubled. What happened?" Vic asked.

"Nothing Brian… *Pant*… Just go back *pant* to bed please," I asked Brian.

"Okay… You're scaring me bro," he nervously responded. He left. I propped back down onto my bed exhausted. It was 1:27 A.M.

"Another nightmare? I thought those stopped…" Vic said scared.

"I don't know… I want them to stop! I've had it to hell with these! Why are they happening? WHY ARE THEY SO BAD!" I panicked.

"Calm down damn it! You're making this worse. Use calm mind," he replied. It was hard to muster the proper feelings. The sweat was dissolving the coating on my spike. I took a deep breath and used calm mind. I felt myself relaxing. Soon enough I felt normal again.

"Thanks… Say Vic, how did you do that thing where you count to 8? Moltres did that as well," I noted.

"It's something that's only shared between high beings. Can't tell you. Do you want me to use that method on you?" he asked.

"Sure. That would be nice. You just need to do that more frequently," I pestered.

"Yeah whatever. Anyways, count to 8, and access your dream world once more," he responded. I closed my eyes and counted to 8. After doing so, I drifted off into a world that I more desired…

It was a world that I lived regularly; with green skin, a kid like everyone else, and had no troubles at all. Oh how I wished that world was like mine.

…

"Nightmares. Any idea what they're about?" one member asked.

"Nope. Sure seems like it's causing him some trauma," the leader responded.

"I feel sorry for him. We should really intervene," another member replied.

"It is forbidden to intervene. Not at the beginning of this story," the leader replied once more.

"Pathos is something you can't develop now. Wait till later," the last member said.

…

I woke up this morning feeling much more refreshed. Because my stunt had ripped apart the school, they got permission to use a hospital that didn't get very many patients as a school for everyone; the lot outside was used as gym space. Everyone though had to carry around their backpacks, and the trip was twice as long to get there.

3 weeks had gone by after the incident of Vosa Nové, and I felt a bit nervous. There would be one week like this, and then it was back to the regular schoolhouse.

Obviously I had a lot of explaining to do; I was practically mauled over by everyone when I came back. They asked me constantly how I lived, and how had this happened. John didn't mention that the Dark Legions were the reason for the fire, and that I actually caused the explosion.

I had to answer them the same way; I don't even know how I lived. I said it was all a blur, and that the details are too foggy to recall.

I started to notice John treating me with a bit more respect. Perhaps it may be some praise for all that I went through, even if I _HAD _any praise at all. It felt nice, and I wanted to thank him for it, but never got the courage to. I think it would be awkward if I did.

Things… seemed to get more clouded up though…

I don't know how I can put this, but I felt a bit more attached to everyone. I started to talk to people more, and want to actually have fun with them. I started to realize that I needed a break from all this chaos and start living regularly. Just let your past troubles float away. I knew a famous quote that related to this:

"_Don't let your past get you down so you don't focus differently on now," _said a famous poet. It was a verse in a poem, oddly enough.

I started looking into some more sports. There weren't many options at the private school, other than running and soccer. Here there was dodgeball, football, lacrosse, and a whole load of other sports. I was best at running and dodgeball, so I felt like I would stand a good chance in those. The running team was easy to get on, and the dodgeball team you had to try out for. My doctor's appointment was only a few days away… Which didn't help the current situation I was in.

I've had an irrational fear of getting vaccines as far back as to when I got my first one. I've had to be pinned down just to get a vaccine injected. Recently they hadn't been too much of an issue, but I haven't had a vaccine for 5 years now. I'm worried how I'll react. It will kill off the need to get a physical though.

I was hanging out with my typical gang at the library, and of course no one would stop asking questions. For the most part I ignored all questions, and wanted to just talk normally. After being asked at least 3 dozen questions, I just said that I was getting a headache and left. Really, they were giving me a headache. I went to see John at the gym, since he trains physically. He plays some rough sports. When I got there he was fighting a punching bag with an Absol's face on it. He was going to town on it, considering the speed he was punching at. After a blinding 7-move combo he finished. I applauded him.

"You know, you sure have longer and faster combos than I do," I noted.

"Well, I guess you're right there. Though you're a lot smarter with your stuff. How do you do that ranged attacking? You know when you like launch a psycho-cut or a night slash? I want to figure that out. Flamethrower just doesn't do it for me," he replied.

"Maybe later. I need to settle some things out. I have a match here in few minutes," I responded.

"Who's it with?" he asked.

"Jake Susi. He's a Lucario, if you didn't know," I told him.

"I know who he is. I've chatted with him, but he's a real clown. Not the most skilled, but a decent fighter," he said.

"Alright then. Are you gonna watch?" I asked.

"No thanks. Coach is gathering us all for a match. Say… what sport do you want to try out for?" he asked.

"Either track or dodgeball. Great at both," I told him.

"I see. Boxing just works for me," he said after he finished an uppercut on the punching bag. "Well good luck on your fight. I'm off."

"Okay see ya' round," I chimed. Shortly after he left Jake walked in the room.

The match took about 6 minutes. He's a good fighter, and a smart one at that. He could dodge quite a few of my moves.

You know, the fact that I may look very young and innocent since I'm a good 8 inches under the height of an adult Gallade may aid to my success against fighting those Dark Legions… Then again, I also had trouble with other Dark Legions since they didn't underestimate me. I mean, the Zoroark I met in the building when I was with the Alakazam didn't know anything about Flame Fury, so I pummeled him instantly. Though with that Luxray, I'm sure a Flame Fury wouldn't have done too much to him.

The match favored my win by a good amount, but I still didn't walk away unharmed. I was hit by a few aura spheres, not to mention a focus punch. It was a good match.

BEEP: "Zach Regaldi, please report to the office. Zach Regaldi, please report to the office."

The overhead was something most people ignored since it seemed as though you would never hear your name shouted across the school. Though I guess it was important, and that this was Renegade period, so they had no exact idea where I could be. Typically, during recess period they use the overhead to call any people up. Anyways, I followed orders so I headed up.

When I got up the receptionist handed me a letter. It said to give it to my parents, but I had ways of getting around. I went to the bathroom and copied the letter with my abilities and then read the duplicated one. I opened it up and read the following:

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Regaldi,_

_We are pleased to let you know that your son excels in various activities, with every range from academic to historical/biological. Though we have been most pleased in one class in specific, and that would PE class. Even with him qualified for the ABC class, he is still above the standard of the rest of the freshmen attending the course. We have gained recommendation that he should be promoted to 10__th__ grade PE class. This recommendation is only specifically allowed if you permit it. He will also follow up with the next grade level class once he is in 10__th__, and 11__th__. In 12__th__ he will attend military grade training for his age._

_As mentioned earlier, he will only be promoted under your conditions. Just fill out the signature below if you agree to comply._

_Sincerely,_

_Roxanne T. Alia_

…_._

_Parent/Guardian Signature: __

_Student Signature: __

_Yes, I agree to let my child attend 10__th__ grade PE class: __

_No, I do not permit my child to attend 10__th__ grade PE class: __

That was the end of the letter. Honestly, I think 10th grade would _ACTUALLY _challenge me as far as PE goes. Even the ABC wasn't too difficult. Sure it was much harder than regular PE class, but I still wasn't too challenged. I guess I'll just bring it to my parents and ask them to let me in.

When I got home, I gave my letter to the parents.

"They called me in the middle of the school day, so it might be important," I noted.

"Okay thanks," my dad replied. "You know you're doctor's appointment is in two days right?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I groaned. "You know how much I hate vaccines."

They signed the letter, so I was going to be in 10th grade PE/Battle class. It was funny really. I don't think this has happened in this school.

The next day passed full of me worrying. I really did worry too much about the vaccine tomorrow. My friends obviously could tell I was worried.

For some reason I feel sort of disoriented. In just a month's timespan too much had happened. Getting kidnapped, then recovering, and then Vosa Nové. I feel like I've spent too much time fighting. If anything I wanted to stop fighting legionnaires.

_In 12__th__ grade he will attend military grade training for his age._

I remembered that line from the letter. In other words, I'd be going to a class in where they teach me to be a soldier. That was the only apparent downside to me.

Fortunately the vaccination wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just took some bracing a quick yelp, and a sore arm for a few days. It was a vaccine for Cronitis, a lethal disease that is transmitted from Rattata. Unlike most diseases, it will affect any pokemon.

One day my spike was noticeably rough. It was rough enough to put me on edge at times, so I asked my parents if I could get it polished. They were somewhat negligent at first, but said it was fine. Brian would drive me there and then drop me off, and pick me up later.

Polishing is essentially a haircut for only Gallades and Gardevoirs, except that a professional cleans up their spike. It comes with a hefty price though, which explains the reason why my parents were hesitant to let me get my spike polished.

Though they lent me 2000 poké and had my brother drive me there. When I got there I just gave them my ID. They didn't seem to care how old I was. I got an appointment and went to get polished.

Polishing is difficult, and the slightest stray stroke may just break a polisher's career, making them very uncommon. It took Brian almost an hour to get here. The polisher I had had been doing this for a few years, so I felt confident that he would do fine…

It felt relaxing. It gave me almost a feeling of rebirth.

Though paranoia struck me in the heart when I walked out of the building. I saw a hooded, shady person at a car. He glanced at me, then got in his car and immediately drove away. It chilled my spine. Was he a legion? If so what do they have in mind?

Ever since that incident I've become obscenely paranoid. I accidentally punched Brian in the face with a mach-punch out of sheer paranoia that a legionnaire was out to get me. It almost happened with me and John McCormick at school. I got extremely mad whenever someone came up to me from behind. The sensation of being dragged away helplessly has made an impact on me. It unnerved me knowing that they would go far enough to take a kid out of school by force. If they did it once they would surely do it again.

This heightened paranoia was effecting me at school and at home. My parents would get very upset because I couldn't rest at night; nor could I focus on easy tasks such as washing the dishes. Brian started to become more and more irritated with me.

It affected me at school worse though. Several people would get mad, and the teachers could see it as well. It didn't help that I was in a much harder battle class. I would try too hard in fights and hurt myself more than I did to the other kid. I almost dislocated my arm once. Kids like Luke and Jake would avoid me since they were afraid that I'd get mad at them. I was mad at this paranoia! It was driving me insane and ruining my life.

One day, a week after the paranoia attacks had started, I was breaking down. It was during recess period, and I was hunched over the toilet throwing up. I was feeling fine a few minutes ago, but the panic attacks had set in and it was too much to handle. I felt like I was drunk, as I hobbled around, uselessly trying to regain my balance. When I got out of the bathroom I collapsed onto the ground right in front of Alexis.

"Oh Arceus! Are you okay Zach?" she asked. She was unaware that I could have sprung up and tried to mach-punch her in the face. Either that or she just didn't feel very cautious. I wanted to get up and attack, but I was so sick that I could only groan. I soon felt myself being lifted off of the ground and put up-right against a wall.

"Zach, are you okay?" she asked once more.

"No," I moaned. "I just threw up…"

"I'll get the nurse," she quickly responded.

"No… don't… it's just my paranoia setting in again," I noted.

"Oh that… I've heard from Jake that you have been getting panic attacks. Didn't realize it was paranoia… What's got you down?" she asked.

"It's something unexplainable."

"Why?"

"It's a secret I cannot reveal…"

"Oh come on! We can go somewhere no one else is."

Doesn't know when to stop…

"Please just leave me alone…"

"I'm not getting any help until you agree to tell me what the heck is going on!"

"Stop!"

"NO!"

It was surprising that no one else had dropped in, considering the volume of the argument… Though we were in an area that no one is ever in during recess period.

"Alright fine… I'll tell you…"

"We're going to the stage. No one is ever there." She picked me up with her psychic powers and carried me. I would have been embarrassed to look like this… She carried me to the stage. No one was there, nor was there any teachers or students throughout this hall.

"Keep your voice down. So tell me the reason for your paranoia," she demanded.

"It all happened with the fight with the Scizor. The one that grabbed my spike. Your dad may have told you, considering he looked after me in the time I was at the hospital. It turns out, the Scizor was actually a young Dark Legion recruit. Obviously it worried me, but I didn't have any concerns.

Then there was the episode where I was kidnapped randomly in the middle of the day. As it turns out, there was no car accident. I was kidnapped by a Bisharp and a Honchkrow. They took me all the way to Cortia city, where they were going to smuggle me into Dark Legion territory using a helicopter. They managed to sneak in and steal the helicopter. One of them had a gun, which is a small handheld device that shoots a bullet, or a pointed piece of metal that kills instantly. They shot a worker, and he died in seconds. Once we were going up, they gave me a cloak that rendered me invisible. We got on the helicopter and they would have gotten away, if I hadn't broken out of my cuffs. I saw a knife, so I stabbed the Honchkrow, but the Bisharp nearly threw me overboard. He did, but I hung onto the helicopter, and found the gun and shot him with it. The bullet smashed the control panel, so the helicopter plummeted into Post 21-AA. I met come high people there, and they sent me back after recovery. In fact, they called John Johnson over to comfort me. I went back to school for two weeks, and then the school was blown up. Turns out, a dark legionnaire had snuck in, ignited the whole room around me, leaving out everyone else. I managed to make a bomb with some of the gas tanks, and then it blew up propelling me into the sky. I somehow survived and landed in a hospital with Vosa Nové. I don't even want to bring back the hardships in Vosa Nové, so you're going to have to live with me telling you that I managed to escape narrowly, making it back. Though a week ago, I went to get my spike polished, though after I walked out, a man in a black coat who looked uninterested in everything but me, was standing next to his car. After I walked out, he glanced at me, and then drove away. Now do you understand why I'm so paranoid?" I asked her. There was a few moments of almost awkward silence. Alexis broke it.

"That's ridiculous! There's no way you could be tangled up with the Dark Legion, and John couldn't have been involved with it either!" she yelled.

"I swear it's true! You can ask John himself!" I yelled back.

"I WILL THEN!" she responded. She rushed out the door. This can't end well…

…

POVSWITCHEROONIE!

…

I was working on some biology homework. Anatomy isn't that difficult, except for remembering specific parts in different species of pokemon. Tyler was next to me working on some unrelated math homework. I was bored to death really, as my day hadn't been fun nor did it seem to become better.

"Hey John, could you help me out with this problem?" Tyler asked.

"No thanks. I need to keep focused," I responded. He nodded, and continued to ponder on about his problem.

My attention was quickly fixed to the door, as I heard it open. Alexis just walked in, and she looked extremely angry. Her face was a bright red, nearly turning to pink. Her eyes blazed with fury as she charged up to me.

"You, me. We need to talk," she sternly said as she ran up to me.

"What is thi-" I was about to ask.

"NOW!" she demanded. I decided it was best to go along. I followed her.

"What's the point of all this?" I asked.

"You'll find out in a bit," she replied. She brought me to some desolate area of the school. "Okay then, I have a few questions to ask." Her face hadn't changed.

"Alright…" I carefully responded.

"Does Zach really get involved with the dark legion?" she asked. That was odd. How could she even suspect that? Had someone started a rumor? Best way to keep Zach safe was probably to say that he isn't.

"Of course not. That's ridiculous," I responded. She grunted.

"Ugh… I hate Zach now. I thought he would be nice, but he's just full of shit," she moaned.

"Why? He's not what you just described him as…" I tried to persuade her. What was the issue?

"Nothing. Just get away from me now. I don't want to even see you," she angrily said, as she rushed out of the room. What in the name of Arceus just happened?

…

Back to Zach

…

I was still completely wiped out. At least I didn't have the paranoia sense going on.

I could only hope that John told Alexis the truth if she had come to him. At least then she wouldn't be so mad. If not, things will not go well.

It took me a few minutes to get my act together. There was only 7 minutes left until school was over, so I knew I had to get packed up and get ready to go. I still felt sick to my stomach, but not because of paranoia.

This cataclysm might just be as bad as getting entangled with the dark legion, except more socially. I feel like I'm standing on a single eggshell that's extremely brittle, and if it does break then all hell would break lose. If the egg breaks, I could be ridiculed or worse by everyone in the entire country. The war would be intensified. The Avengers would be steamed if they found out the Dark Legion was targeting a fourteen year old. My parents would be even more mad than the Avengers!

"You're in trouble now," Vic said in my head.

"I already know that. I'm just afraid of the outcome," I responded.

"Well… I just can only wish for the best. You should see John now," Vic advised.

"I guess that's about the only thing I can do until this is over," I groaned. I forced myself upwards. I felt worse than taking a punch from a steel claw this time. My entire life could collapse as I know it. I hobbled over to the library. By now the usual gang would have left, but John always stays a bit extra. I slowly made my way there. I saw him working alone. By now I felt better, and good enough to keep a regular face on. I walked over to him.

"Hey… Did Alexis come by earlier?" I asked.

"Yeah… She asked if you were entangled with the Dark Legion. I kept your secret and told her that you weren't," he answered. Shit… Had to be the worse outcome. I clenched my fist and gave a hard grunt. "Is there an issue?"

"Yes… She made me tell her the story but she didn't believe it. I told her to go to you if she didn't think it was true, which she did. Well, it's too late now. I'll just have to bear whatever comes my way," I moaned. I heard someone sneak up behind me. He poked me in the back. I knew he was a jerk who knew I was paranoid and would do it a lot. I felt relieved of my paranoia though considering the current situation. "Don't you have anything better to do?" He was shocked that I didn't react, so he quickly ran off.

"You seem less paranoid than usual. Also, Alexis hates you now. I mean hates you with a burning passion sort of way," he told me.

"That doesn't surprise me. It may be good, considering she does unnerve me quite a few times," I noted.

"You shouldn't be happy about someone hating you. It's not very mentally healthy," he tried to warn me.

"I guess you're right. But with all the burdens I'm carrying, it may be one less," I countered. After that we dropped the conversation since some kids started coming in. I started to feel somewhat positive. For some reason my paranoia seems to have vanished. I felt more care free than I had been before.

Things started becoming more routine. As I said, I no longer had the heightened sense of paranoia. I started getting back together with friends that had avoided me because of it.

John seemed more and more concerned about me as time went on. I don't understand why, but I assume it's better not to ask about it. I also overheard him talking about crushes, and he indeed does have a crush on someone who I have seen. Though as a reliable friend, I wouldn't tell her about it.

Alexis didn't drop her grudge. She would ignore me at all times. In class, in the hall, during recess period, and any other times. Half of it felt nice, and the other half felt irritating. I saw what John meant, in that it is annoying just to be neglected by someone on purpose. Jake, who is actually the closest to Alexis, knows the most. I found out from him that Alexis doesn't even mention me in any of her conversations any more. It impressed me how much she really hates me. I didn't know a person could get mad over such a small thing.

Things were normal for a long time. Long enough so that there was only two weeks before winter break, which meant Hontia. I remembered my convoluted scheme that I had thought up to meet Raikou. Vic tried everything to get me not to go there, but there was no point in trying. The tickets had been bought, and there is no mention of any possible storm in Hontia. Obviously that isn't true, as I figured out that the storm will go right into Hontia.

At a point I decided to do more research on Raikou. It isn't all confirmed, but I could at least take some notes. Raikou is said to come down on the mightiest lightning bolt of the storm. He stays there until the storm moves another place. It doesn't say what happens if the bolt misses. As I figured out, the bolt will also strike the highest elevated area. It doesn't mention what happens if it doesn't. The storm apparently functions like every other storm, though it's clouds have a different texture. It also says the clouds form a funnel when the bolt strikes, and turn into a radiant pattern if the bolt successfully transfers down Raikou. It doesn't mention what happen if the bolt somehow doesn't strike successfully.

You know, I'm used to things saying that not all the answers are true. It just means it's a secret waiting to be found out, or proven true.

Considering secrets needing to be proven true, it was November 28th, 1002. Today was the football team's last home game of the season. The stadium was full of fans and people from both districts just itching for intense action. At the football game I was sitting with John McCormick. Luke was there as well, so things were looking up.

Our team was losing 31 to 28. Fans were roaring and on the edge of their seats. It was the last 5 minutes of the last quarter. I was eating some fries and had a small Coke next to me. John was yelling at the top of his lungs, while Luke was shivering in the cold. The quarterback is out of space, and he spots his teammate who is at the other end of the field. He decides to take the risk, and toss 65 yards down the line. Just barely does he catch it, and scores a touchdown for our team. The score is now 34 to 31.

I was completely unaware of all of this. In fact, I was already on my feet by the time the ball was thrown. I had spotted a grim sight. At the spa, the man had driven off in a blue car that looked very old style. I had seen that car at the corner of my eye, and the man resembled the one I had saw there as well. He was carrying something under his coat, and it looked like a hideous bulge in his stature. I got on my feet, and took off. I didn't even bother to tell John and Luke that I had to go. I swerved my way through the crowd of people, getting a lot of peculiar looks. My denim blue jacket trailed behind me as I dashed through the crowd. Brian saw me out of the corner of his eye. His face went grim. He knew something was wrong if I was in such a panic. He lied to the band instructor that he needed a break. He met me at the concession stand.

"Zach… Is there a problem?" he asked.

"There is. I saw a Dark Legion… He headed into the underground management area. You know, where they farm the grass for the field?" I questioned.

"Yeah… Anything I should do?" he asked.

"Yes. Get away from here. Seem completely normal, and if there's panic calm it down quickly. I'll be back," I told him. He nodded and ran off. I didn't know my way around the field, but I think I could figure it out. Vic was asleep, so he had no idea about any of this. I jogged around until I found a door that said, "Employees only". I barged open the door, and immediately a man who was watching saw me.

"Hey you can't-" he was about to say, but then I used hypnosis on him. He moaned and fell asleep on the floor. I took his keys, and opened the door that said "Grass Management". Though as I was turning the key, I heard steps coming up. I quickly ducked into cover. Out came the man, who turned out to be a Bisharp. He was on his cell phone.

"Yeah. The charges are in place. They'll go off in about 45 seconds. Alright. I'll watch and see if Zach's dead. Okay see you soon," he responded. They're going to blow up an entire field just to kill me. The dark legion really is ruthless… Though clearly determined. I waited until he left the building. I went into the room and saw about 20 large black square devices, with wires on all of them. They were identical, and all had timers. There were only 12 seconds left.

All of a sudden I unconsciously thought about everyone. I mean everyone total. John J., John M., Luke, Jake, even Alexis. Erik, Tyler, and everyone else I had met that had been so nice to me. This scandal could ruin everything, and I had no idea how to stop these bombs from going off… Except one idea. It occurred to me when there were only 8 seconds on the clock. I ran back into the employees only room, and saw a large electrical generator. It was hooked up and it had several wires running through. 6 seconds left.

I yanked off the top of the generator. It was completely functional. At the same time the enemy team had thrown the ball across the field just as we had done earlier. Though now there was only 12 seconds left on the game clock.

4 seconds…

I started pulling out wires. The ball kept flying through the air, so gracefully as if nothing except the end of the world could stop it.

2 seconds…

There isn't enough time to get the power to stop!

1 second…

I'll have to destroy it with a flame fury. Here goes nothing!

0.00 time on the timers

The ball slipped just through the running back's hands, and then everything goes black.

The flame fury had done enough to kill the generator. The bombs no longer had power to activate.

Everything in the stadium had stopped. The lights, the regulators, the announcement devices, and everything else electronic. There was immediate panic across the field. The Dark Legion man knew something had gone wrong.

I quickly sneaked out of the building undetected. I saw a man running in from outside of the stadium. He was a Bisharp. I got a bit hauled up though when I was caught.

"HEY!" I heard a voice say. I turned around to see Alexis tackle me to the ground. I was still behind the building, so no one saw. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU RUINED THE GAME!"

"No, I just saved everyone from being blown up!" I yelled.

"By destroying the power? You're out of your mind! There's no bombs here!" she exclaimed.

"Actually, there are," said an irritated voice. Alexis was on top of me, in almost sort of an embarrassing position. At first I blushed when I heard a voice speak in my direction. So did Alexis. But then I snapped out of it when I saw the infuriated Bisharp looking at me. I saw the unmistakable device in his left pocket. A gun. It didn't surprise me, but it still sent chills down my spine. Alexis had done something to my legs actually, when she tackled me onto the ground. My knees were sore, and from shock I didn't decide to stand up, but so did Alexis. "There's 22 of them down beneath the football field. It would have gone off if it weren't for your damned boyfriend!" he yelled. He thought I was Alexis's boyfriend? Maybe the Dark Legion is more misguided than I thought. Alexis was more furious than she was earlier.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" she yelled. Somehow this argument wasn't attracting attention. "What do you want with him?"

"He wants to kill me," I said.

"He's right. I was going to blow up the entire field for him. But now I guess that won't happen. I'll just have to kill him otherwise," he said. He took the gun out of his left pocket.

"What is that?" Alexis asked. A chill went down my spine.

"Alexis… don't," I warned her. She ignored me and questioned on.

"How can some small device like that kill someone?" she questioned further. She was instigating him.

"Alexis… seriously don't go farther," I warned again. The Bisharp was angry. Being taunted by a bratty schoolgirl must be infuriating.

"Would you like a demonstration?" he asked gritting between his teeth. All of a sudden he turned the gun and shot me right next to my spike.

…

"Status Mr. Ron?" the doctor asked.

"He'll live. But this will stay with him for the rest of his life. If we tell the high generals they'll be furious. We can't tell them for the sake of our nation's own defense," A.J. Ron said.

"Poor kid. Someone his age shouldn't even go near a Dark Legionnaire," the doctor replied.

"He's not poor. Just unlucky…" A.J. Ron noted.

…

I woke up in a bed. It was my own. Though I didn't know where I was. My motions were a blur. I waved my hand to see several copies appear where it was, and then disappear right afterwards. A single statue of a Gallade with a statue was in front of me. The statue represented a Gallade standing completely still, with his arms out in front of his chest, holding a large sword beneath him. There was a small plaque engraved on the statue. It said one word, and the word could not be ignored; Justice.

…

I was still unnerved. Even with what had happened last night I'm still having trouble keeping myself together. Being brought all the way to Terra City in a matter of five hours. It was nuts. Even for a shiny Gallade like me this is still unheard of. It was a lot to comprehend. Yesterday was a fun day. No problems, no homework, and a game that night to boot. Well it had to go all wrong. The sorrow I was feeling was immense. It made my throat sore and my eyes water. The girl that was with him, Alexis, was crying. I had no idea who she was. Though one thing was clear; she was not Zach's supposed girlfriend. I had asked her that once and she quickly canceled it out. I wanted to know her better to understand who she was.

Rachel was in shock when I told her that I would have to be gone for tomorrow. I just told her it regarded family matters. She wasn't happy, but I told her it was something vital to the family. Mom and dad are with me in this room. Mom can't keep the tears from coming out, while dad is faring just like me. Even with all the stories that Zach had told me about his previous two adventures, I never thought I would experience it in a way like this. The bond I have with Zach was powerful enough to reassure me that he wasn't dead even when the school was ripped to shreds.

A.J. Ron was here with us. I could only assume that he had no choice but to inform mom and dad on what Zach had really been doing. He had somehow evaded all injuries with Vosa Nové, and even in the helicopter crash he had been shielded by the frame of the helicopter. They said he could have been another 2 miles in the air and still would have survived the crash. Though nothing compares to this. Getting shot, in cold air, has done more than both of the previous incidents combined. More than the fight with that Scizor.

The doctor's say he will live, but it's hard to believe him. I take their word for it, though the dark thoughts in my mind circle around like Sharpedo's…

How had this all started? With Zach getting involved with a fight with a Scizor? Well yes, but the fight was more than that. That Scizor was a young Dark Legionnaire, and he had poisoned Zach to get messed up in their business. Then he was kidnapped and brought to Cortia City, in which he narrowly survived falling out of the sky from 3 miles up in a helicopter. Then an assassination attempt took place at the school, igniting it on fire. Even though Zach caused the explosion, many people believed that fire just reacted violently with the fuel tanks in the cafeteria. John has also had these feelings. Rachel had noted that ever since the fight with the Scizor that John had acted differently towards Zach.

It seems things will never be normal for Zach. Even after he gets out of the hospital. I could assume that Alexis was also playing last night's scene over and over again in her head…

…

The Bisharp had just shot Zach next to his spike. His aim was just off enough to miss the vital organs that were there, but it caused nearly fatal damage to him. Zach yelled out extremely hard. After the gun had gone off, panic swept the stadium like waves on a beach. Alexis was horrified in what had just happened. Within seconds of the shot Zach passed out.

"NOW DO YOU SEE THE POWER OF THE LEGION! YOU QUESTIONED OUR POWER AND OUR POWER YOU GET! NOW YOU'LL EXPERIENCE THE PAIN HE'S IN!" the Bisharp yelled. He took aim at Alexis's spike. Alexis backed away, as if it were going to do her any good.

"STOP!" Brian yelled. He took his trombone and hit the Bisharp across the head with it and knocked him out. The Bisharp fell down and dropped the gun. Brian took one last glimpse of the man and ran over to his brother. He kneeled at him and started crying. Alexis quickly took out her phone and dialed 911. A minute went by and an ambulance showed up. The paramedics said he would only live with technology at Terra City. With directions from A.J. Ron himself, Zach was shipped off to Cortia on the fastest jet plane with his family and friends with him. The flight was free. Their mother, father, Brian, Zach, Alexis, and John were all taken. They got to the hospital at midnight exactly.

…

I glanced over and saw John. I cared for him as a cousin, considering he's Rachel's little brother. His face looked painful. He wasn't crying but he was in serious emotional distress. I could imagine; his best friend being shot with a weapon that was lethal. I took deep breaths to keep my calm. Everything is going to be okay. I had to remind myself over and over again. I knew it wasn't true, but it would calm me down for the moment. I heard a cheer from Zach's room. I peeked in to see the doctors rejoicing. Clearly they had done something good. I sighed and tried to go to sleep.

…

I woke up under a bright light. I had felt this twice before, but something was different this time around. The other times I was not being monitored. I woke up in a small hospital bed with no one around. There had been a pain in both of them. One was emotional, and the other was physical. What was off about this experience?

There were three doctors around me. My body had been cut open at the spike, yet I didn't feel anything. I felt as if I had no sense but sight. I couldn't taste, smell, hear, or feel anything. I saw a doctor reach in with a small pair of pliers. He reached in and dislodged something from within me. I saw him pull out a small silver gray piece of metal. It was shaped like a cone at the top, and a cylinder at the bottom. He pulled out the bullet I had been shot with. The other doctors clapped as he put the bullet in a case. They took out a large needle and thread and sewed my body back together. It wouldn't take long for it to reform.

I started feeling sleepy all of a sudden. I closed my eyes and rested. I counted to 8 with the help of Vic, and drifted off into my other world. A world where I had no troubles.

…

This time I awoke watching a mask get pulled off my face. I saw John and a doctor.

"You're awake," John said.

"So I am…" I replied. I felt a painful throbbing next to my spike. I cringed a bit.

"That pain will be with you for the rest of your life I'm afraid," the doctor said.

"I've felt way worse fortunately… It'll be ignored after a while," I noted. "What happened?"

Brian walked into the room, and answered, "As soon as I heard the loud bang of the gun, I went to the source and found the calamity. I knocked him out with my trombone… He's alive and A.J. Ron is interrogating him right now. We got you to the nearest hospital where Ron ordered you to be sent to Terra City. It was the only way you could live."

"So we're in Terra City. Who else is here?" I asked.

"Mom and dad, as well as that girl Alexis. Who is she?" Brian asked.

"Just a person from school. I'll explain it to you," John told Brian. My head was spinning. It calmed down after a bit, but it was weird.

"What am I in for…" I painfully asked. The pain was aggravating, but I knew it would eventually become less and less noticeable.

"Well that bullet fortunately didn't damage too much… Though it almost came intact with the most fragile part of the spike. If that had happened you surely would have been dead. Otherwise mostly damaged veins arteries flesh and a small divot carved into you're ribs. You're quite lucky really," the doctor noted. There was a bit of silence.

"Ugh… I think I caused all of you a heart attack. I'm sorry really," I shamefully said.

"Are you kidding me? You always blame yourself for things. Not everything is your responsibility…" John said. He sighed a bit.

"Though I know a few of us are faring worse than others," Brian said.

"Hm?" I questioned. I looked out the window. There was no one, but soon I heard crying. "Who is that?"

"Alexis… She's even worse than mom," Brian said. "Mom knew something was wrong when I first talked to her on the phone. She even started breaking out in crying before the call was over. Dad's trying his best, but she's having a hard time. Alexis… Only Arceus knows what she's experiencing. You should probably talk to her later."

"Ngh…" I moaned. I wasn't sure if the moan was out of pain or if it was just uncomforting me that I would have to face Alexis. She must be put under an enormous amount of guilt after what she did. She realizes that her taunting the dark legion man was the reason I had been shot.

"You really should talk to her. I'm serious! Just look at her she's-" Brian tried to counter.

"It's PAIN," I corrected.

"Oh," Brian replied, clearly embarrassed. He blushed a small bit. The doctor ordered them to leave.

"I'm going to need to do your checks here. Won't take long," he said. He put my finger in a soft clamp. It showed him my blood oxygen levels.

"Hm. It seems you're a bit low on oxygen. I suggest you drink some water," he said. He took off the clamp and strapped on a pad. This was blood pressure. He squeezed the bag. I felt the pad tighten around my arm. He had to choose the dullest part of the blade so it wouldn't cut through.

"Blood pressure is low, but not to a bad degree," he said. He took out a thermometer. He put it under my tongue.

"Temperature is regular. That is good," he said. He lastly put the small tab on my arm where it met the blade. He took out a black band and strapped it around my arm very tight. I started getting a bit frightened.

"I'm not taking your pressure. At Terra City Hospital we find it important to find blood rate. Your spike makes it impossible to measure your heartbeat," he reassured. I sighed.

"Blood rate is fast. That is good for this sort of situation though. Okay, you're good to go. Drink water frequently, as it will aid to your recovery," the doctor noted. He placed a bottle of water next to my bed. I took it quickly and gulped down the liquid. I was parched.

After drinking I tried to relax myself. I used calm mind and heard a smash over in the room across from me. The door to the room had a name… It said "Management". Though it was clear that no management was going on. The two figures in the room were shaped like an Aggron and a Samurai, presumably the Bisharp. I could only wonder what was going on in there.

…

A.J. Ron was interrogating the Bisharp. He claimed to have no name. He told him to refer to him as X.

"So Mr. X. You've gotten yourself into some deep trouble involving several bombs being placed under a local football field, as well as shooting an innocent 14-year-old boy," the Aggron said.

"He's not innocent. He's killed four of our brothers, and he will kill more if need be," the Bisharp. Both of them had a plate. It had cuts of prime rib from Miltank that had been specially raised from government farms. Ron took his fork and knife, which looked quite peculiar in his stubby hands, and cut off a piece of the rib that he had. He ate it and asked the Bisharp to do the same. The Bisharp did so, though still didn't seem to cheer up at all.

"Both you and I know that Zach is no regular child," the Bisharp said.

"That is true. Raised by the heroes of the revolution… It's interesting really. For two parents that had such a great and unusual role of history to raise a child the wrong way. It would have been better if they had gotten used to normal society faster, don't you think?" the Aggron asked.

"Maybe so. Max Regaldi is the second strongest fighter ever born. Of course they never told either of their children about their real past," X said.

"Honestly, I'd rather keep it that way. With him knowing that his parents are war heroes could change his life," Ron said. The Bisharp gave him an odd look.

"What are you planning with that child?" Bisharp frantically asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm luring the Legion towards this child to toughen him up. Even if his parents refused to join the military that doesn't mean Zach will have their same ideas. The best part is that nobody knows about. All I have to do is act like I'm involved over this child and the Legion will follow," he said.

"You're a monster. Not even the Legion would stoop this low to do something like that toward a child," X said.

"All's fair in love and war," Ron replied.

"YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!" X yelled. He smashed his fists on the table. "Now I feel sorry for that child! You could have left him alone and deal with us the other way, but no-oo-oo! You had to cause such traumatic things to a 14 year old kid. You almost made me kill him!"

"I did not expect you to react in such a way," Ron said.

"Now you're blaming it on me!" the Bisharp said.

"I'm just doing business here… The Legion is winning the war and I need all the power I need. If I get Zach to his fullest potential the Legion wouldn't stand a chance," Ron replied.

"But he's still a child! You can wait a few years can't you? He got so paranoid over some person- Wait…" X started.

"Hm?" Ron asked. X looked at pictures that had been spread out in front of him.

"Even though you blurred the license plates on these cars, they're different. The license plate I had is not the one on the car that appeared at the spa those weeks ago," X said. For once Ron looked concerned. "You were the one who sent a man to scare the living daylights out of Zach…"

"I was just-" Ron said.

"Doing business? By terrifying a small child who had no one to help him? Did you even know what happened to him because of that?" X asked Ron.

"No…" Ron's voice had become stiff. He was afraid for once.

"He became abnormally paranoid. He punched his own brother in the face, and nearly attacked all of his friends. It made him look like a monster. That Gardevoir Alexis hated him from a sequence of paranoia. He threw up in front of Alexis, and told her the truth. But she didn't believe him. That sequence led Zach to getting shot. I'm not the reason why Zach was shot. YOU'RE THE REASON WHY HE WAS SHOT!" X yelled, smashing the table once more. Ron was terrified. X had just figured out what his scheme was. All of a sudden the door opened. Standing in the opening was Max Regaldi. There was fury in his eyes.

"You…" he said. Max had no emotion other than anger. "Why you… Why would you do this to my child…" Ron was terrified. Max had the bullet that Zach had in his chest. He held it in his hand.

"X, run from here. You have done nothing wrong," Max said. He used gust to open up an air vent. The Bisharp scrambled into the vent, scurrying off like a Sentret.

"Mr. Regaldi- I never meant it to go this way," Ron tried to counter.

"You might not have expected it… But you had it planned to have Zach go under these trials. Sending military forces of the Avengers' greatest enemy to attack a child. That's corrupt, and uncontrolled. The people say you're pure and stable," Max said. He held up the bullet.

"I want you to know something. You said that you weren't going to have a successor until you die. Guess who just stepped down three days ago? Thomas Threvi. That's right, the Ralts family Figurehead. I'll end you if you don't give me permission to take his place as figurehead. And even then you'll do whatever I say, or I'll tell you the truth about what you did to my son," Max followed up.

"You're blackmailing me?" he questioned.

"A justified blackmail. For doing something so wrong it wouldn't seem too bad of a thing. So what's your decision. The bullet, or the access?" Max asked. Ron thought a few seconds and made up his mind.

"I'll take the bullet," he said. Max smiled. He took out a gun. Ron knew what was coming.

"The original gun manufacturing company's motto was "Swift Justice". It'll be used as it was today. Killing that monster Ukuli was hard. This won't be," Max said. He loaded the bullet into the gun, and pulled the trigger. The bullet travelled straight into Ron's head. He died without even screaming. The gun was silenced too; not a single person in the building knew about it. The thing though that was the trick is not in the words. It's in the gun and the wielder. Max knew Forensic Scientists could trace the bullet to him. However, he was using a gun manufactured by the Luxray he had fought that month ago. He took his gun as a victory reward. When they find out that the Dark Legion killed their greatest figurehead, the entire country will call for war.

Max was finished here. He took the body and put it in the office closet. He had no blood on him. Only satisfaction and vengeance coursed through his body as emotions. He shed a small tear. And then wiped it away as he locked the closet shut, and went back to his spot. Everyone else was sleeping. It was actually nighttime, and Zach didn't know about it. Max was upset. It was time to tell Zach about his true past.

…

I was drinking some water when my dad opened the door. Something looked off about him. I'm not sure whether it was his eyes or something else.

"Hey dad," I groaned. The bullet still had taken a toll on me. The pain was there. The painkiller hadn't kicked in yet.

"Hi… Are the doctors gone?" he asked.

"Yes. They'll come in every hour for a check-up. They just finished their most recent one," I answered.

"Alright… You know the story of the great revolution right? The man Ukuli Saverev who freed the knights from the Owners?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why are you asking this?" I asked him.

"Because what your teachers have been telling you are lies. They've been covering up the real story behind the revolution," he said. Why would teachers lie about something they're supposed to teach children on?

"Dad… What do you mean?" I asked.

"The story dates back much farther than a hundred years ago. In fact, it dates back to as far as sentient civilizations had started," he said.

"These civilizations… Wait a second… Sentient pokemon started coming in a thousand years ago… Is this about ancestry?" I asked. I knew there was something that had to be hidden in my ancestry.

"Zach… This is extremely important. It explains my past, your mothers past, and the true story of how the Avengers and the Legion came at war with each other."  
>…<p>

Well then, this chapter was considerably hard to write the first quarter. Though after that, the lap top sped up the writing speed fast enough to get it done in 5 days. I'm going to love this Christmas gift.

I hope all the readers had a great Christmas or whatever else you celebrate at this time of the year. May the best you have all had out of your Christmas.

I have one last thing to finish up. The next chapter is going to tell the entire story of Zach's parents. It's essentially a 10,000 word flashback. However, it's vital to the story, and I hope you enjoy it when it comes through.

Up next is the finishing of a chapter for a completely different story that isn't even fan fiction. It's an actual story that ports off of nothing else, or otherwise something completely new.

If you're interested, the link is right here, and it's on FictionPress.

Story Link: .com/s/2959701/1/The_Story_Of_Etro

I feel like I personally did well on this chapter. It was also fun to write, and I tried incorporating some things that I actually had planned for later in the story. I might try to do that again in chapters to come.

If you liked this, I'd be delighted to hear about it if you left a review. If you don't have an account, and like to write as well, you can easily sign up. If you have negative feedback though, keep it to yourself. The next chapter will come out when it's ready, so I will have it done as soon as possible. Thank you for reading!

~DTH~


	8. Chapter 8, History

Zach's Years, a Pokemon Fanfiction. Chapter 8, History

Author's Note: My core document for this has gotten too damn long. 158 pages when I started this chapter and 180 when this chapter was done! I think I need to start a new document.

Anyways, from here on two more chapters will be on their way after this, now that everything else is out of the way. As I said in the last chapter, this explains background, and eats up 10000 words of the story while doing so. For some of you who don't like flashbacks, you're out of luck. I'm not someone who puts up spoilers. The only way to understand the backstory is either to skim over it or read it. Plus, some of this makes my heart feel all fuzzy inside. =3

That said, I actually had this story in mind as a separate. However, I saw a good link and tied them together. Though it didn't take _quite _as much brainstorming. Anyways, hope you like the chapter. Enjoy.

Important Note: This is the part in the story where you'll start to see a bit more M rated content by the way. I mean more than language; I mean more sexual content than I've previously used. This won't happen much, but for this chapter it is necessary.

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't, nor will I ever, own the rights to pokemon.**

…

"The year is 11. I remember it vividly to this day. Born before the savior, I had no clue on what my parents had experienced. Even if all I remember of my parents was them be dragged away into the sky by a Zapdos. I lived among my three friends. None of us had parents. We gave each other names, as we did not know our own. I was referred to as Max. A Kirlia at the time. I was the eldest in the group. Then there was a Treecko. He was cowardly, though I saw great potential within him. We gave him the name Skit. He knows just as little about his parents as I do, but was born in the village. I had come from outside. Next was a Charmander. Somewhat brash, he often gets himself into trouble. He doesn't consider most of the risks before he does something. He doesn't remember anything at all. He sometimes wonders who he is in fact. We chose him to be Crow. Then there's a young Riolu. A strong fighter, and possibly the wisest of all of us. His father used to be the leader of this village until word spread that the savior had arrived. He went out to seek the savior, but mysteriously never returned. Since then he had been desperate to know what had happened to his father. He didn't know anything of his mother on the other hand. He called himself Fray.

The four of us acted as brothers to each. I would essentially be the big brother out of everyone. It would go down to Crow, then Fray, and then Skit in the line of maturity in the group. That said though, we all acted like you Zach, sort of an adult in a child's body. Though we were younger.

The village we lived in was known as Terra. In fact, Terra City was built on the same land as Terra. Same goes for Cortia, as well as Vosa Nové and many other cities you know of. The leader of the village was a Metagross. He was known as Chief Meta, and was impressively strong. We were great friends of him. Another important character to know is the mysterious person known as Drake. He was a Deino, and an unusual acting one too. He spent days on end researching for unknown answers. At least, that's what he told us. We were great friends, and he would also help us too.

Meta acted as a father to me. In fact, he let all four of us sleep in his hut. When the hunters would go out in search for Tauros, Miltank, and many other prey, he would bring me along. He taught me many techniques, though he said that Gardevoirs typically have a hard time becoming good hunters due to their fragile composure. Even though he would always say that I would become a male gardevoir, I still had a personal goal of finding a dawn stone and becoming a Gallade.

The original beliefs on how dawn, shiny, and dusk stones were made were much different. They were also extremely difficult to find back then too. Shiny stones said that a few were made every summer solstice. Dusk on the other hand were formed on every winter solstice. Dawn stones though were said only to come about when a true hero is found. I've still searched far and wide for one, but I have had no success whatsoever.

Everyone in the village had second names, but the names are too foggy to remember. They called them last names.

Anyways, to get to the point we lived like this for a while. We were told our ages. Apparently everyone but me was 12. I was 15 actually. 4 years before the arrival of the savior. It was a nice day, and someone had said there will be a star shower tonight. All of us ecstatic reasonably. The four of us were interested in nothing but the shower. The day flew by as we went to a beach that nobody knew about.

The shower was nice, but the ending was something different. A star that we saw started getting larger. It seemed to be coming closer. In fact, it did. It started seeming faster and faster. At that point we knew we had to run. The star, which turned out to be a meteor, had come from the middle of nowhere. We looked back on the impact though, and there was nothing. We looked at the gigantic hole in the sand and saw nothing except one thing at the bottom. It was a shell. It was like no other that we had seen on the beach though. I brought it to us, fearing that the crater would be too hot.

The shell was a pale yellow, and was shaped like an oval. It was incredibly hard, and had sharp edges too. I held onto it, keeping it as a reminder of what happened."

"Do you still have it now?"

"No. We're just there. The next day when we woke up, I couldn't find the shell. At first I panicked, but then I saw something on the beach. Everyone else was still sleeping. I went close to the object and saw a small, plump, blue and white figure in the sand. He was a pokemon, but not one I had ever heard of or seen of before. I helped regain his consciousness while everyone was still sleeping. I took him to Meta's house. Apparently he had heard tales of "Oshawotts" and he was one of them. He said they are the strongest water fighters known in the world, but they must be raised in order to become one. They had mysteriously gone extinct though. He was acting oddly. He knew nothing of himself or of any of us. He didn't even know how to eat.

From there we all started becoming better friends with him. We named him Oscio. Oscio became very well at fighting. As good as me practically. Things started to seem a lot more positive with him around actually. I was going through hard times of doubt, depression, and question. He helped cheer me up, though it wouldn't work permanently.

My mind was dark. An ever spinning enigma that had no entrance, or an end. Locked in forever, never allowed to escape and show its beauty. The monster that took my parents away was enshrouded in darkness. It lived in the shadows. Its eyes were glaring. Its sick white hair ignored the light that tried to enter. It had cast a spell upon me with one act, and one glance. I had doubts on many things.

I would doubt that I would become a fighter. I doubted that I would be a good person, or a parent. I doubted the odds that I would ever find someone truly for me, or that I would find a dawn stone. That last thought soon started to become increasingly troublesome. A few years had passed, but I still hadn't enough skill or power to evolve yet. I was like a father to our group. Everyone else had aged so much. Skit managed to overcome his cowardliness, and was a Grovyle now. In fact, he was a leader. He was the bravest and strongest fighter excluding Oscio.

Fray had definitely matured, but he kept his temper down. Unfortunately he had not evolved into a Lucario yet. He had improved on skills, and started trying to be more sympathetic.

Crow was now a Charmeleon. He was building up strength and power, but wasn't expressing it too much. Sure he was strong, but he seemed to be a reserve fighter. Oscio and Skit seemed to do most of the work in fact.

That said, Oscio was incredible. He was as good as Drake in fact. Oddly too, Drake was still a Deino, even though he was ten years older than me. Oscio new skills that we would dream of. He evolved too, and was very powerful. Drake had said he was now a Dewott.

I was now panicking. I started to feel the evolution energy coming forth. I would evolve without choice soon. I started bugging everyone to search more caves.

When I felt like there was one day left before evolution, I was breaking down. I cried last night shouting repeatedly that I don't want to become a Gardevoir… I was miserable. Meta tried everything to get me to calm down but it didn't help. That day we were going to explore a cavern that had told many tales. It was called the Crystal Cavern. The areas we were exploring had started to get noticeably tougher. They said that this was the most beautiful cavern ever. The crystals lined the floors and walls. They were as hard as diamonds, and as sharp as a Gallade's blade. However, they were lined with monsters like Golem's and several other rock types. We hardly made it through the cavern.

At the end though, we encountered an incredibly wonderful sight. A single gigantic room with crystal stalactites and stalagmites from the ceilings and floors. But something looked concerning. Beneath the walls of this cavern held three giants. One was gigantic and green. It looked like a serpent that had an X around its head, and had intricate red and yellow linings.

Another was yellow. It was mighty and large, and had an unusual ring around its back. It looked sort of like a Stantler, but with Girafarig colors.

The last one… Was horrifying. Its eyes looked as deep as black holes, and its entire body was a stone black except for its head. Its wings looked like solid ice, and its head must have been surrounded by head. It looked like it was screaming in its last moments before it was solidified in this crystal. It had a yellow stripe on the top; all that remained of the frozen monster. It was concealed in ice too, unlike the others that were in crystals.

But it wasn't all bad. In fact, I found the one of the most important things in my life in a stalactite near the monster. A dawn stone. The shape was so distinctive and the design was too. I didn't care of the dangers, and I climbed up the wall and grabbed the crystal. I shoved with all my weight and sent it crashing below. When I came back down, the small crystal remained.

Just then I felt the evolution occurring just from standing near the stone. The others watched in awe as I lost my feminine looks. I became twice as tall, and my small arms expanded and got larger. My legs went from a ballerina's to a warrior's. A helmet formed on top of my head, with a blade in the middle. I was now a Gallade.

I was elated! I felt almost no greater satisfaction at that moment; at the moment. The cavern started shaking for no reason. The blue crystals started turning blood red. At that moment I saw it; the ice was melting. There was no need for any of us to say run. It was instinctive. We escaped that cavern as fast as possible. The cavern had gone from its wonderful blue luster to a hallowed red hell-forbidden sanctuary for the dead. The pokemon we passed were mutating. We could feel forbidden energy entering us. But we escaped. We were all disheveled after that, and wasted no time running home. The night was cold, but we managed.

After that all hell broke loose. In my mind, and in the world too. The cavern monster… I had seen its face awake before the cavern collapsed. It haunted my dreams, just like the dark monster that had taken my parents. I couldn't sleep.

Not to mention a lot more of hunters were out. Prey had started to become scarce, and our crops would not grow. Several outsiders came for help. They were starving, a mess, and were on the brink of dying. They said several outraged monsters that had normally been peaceful were attacking them. It didn't help to think that this had all happened at the same time I became a Gallade. In fact, everyone in the village (except Meta) blamed it on me and ran out of town…

Thank god for friends. They came with me. In fact, we became our own nomadic hunting group. We found a way to sleep undetected, safely, and nicely. We used a dirt blanket with one small hole for us to breathe through. We essentially hibernated for the night. This carried on for months and we had fun… Even if we got attacked, or if one of us got hurt it was still fun.

We had spotted many wiped out villages. Dead carcasses in them too. Bones and skulls scattered about. It made us realize just how crazy this world had gotten. Something in that cave must have changed this. We didn't dare go back, no matter how crazy our adventures got some time.

Though one time, we found a village. It was still prospering, and it had people living. We rushed immediately in. We were greeted and fed. They had a farm, and somehow it was growing. They had meat since their fighters were strong enough to fend off the monsters. They called the village Hedel. We weren't very well acquainted. They made a hut for the five of us. Me and Oscio gained a lot of attention too. Though they treated Fray like a kid. I really wish he would have evolved sooner…

The big reason of this village's importance though wasn't that it was alive. I was enjoying the nice weather one day and I had spotted a meadow. I took a stroll around and saw many different types of flowers. For once I felt good. I saw a tree off in the distance. It was a large tree too. It was actually a bit hot out, so I thought I could lie around in the shade.

As I came closer though, it was pre-occupied. But not just anyone. A Gardevoir out of all things. I had never seen one and she looked so beautiful…"

"That's mom isn't it…"

"You're smart Zach. That was her. But our love story has only begun yet. Let me continue…

When I first saw someone there I had modest thoughts. As I came closer I realized it was a species that I didn't recognize. But then it struck me. The comparison was unmistakable. She had green hair, and I had a green helmet. The white body, the green chest, a red spike in the middle… It had to be a Gardevoir. Once I figured this out, I just fell in love with her for no apparent reason. She was asleep though. I didn't want to wake her up. For no reason, I just left. Without leaving anything but a few trampled flowers behind.

I asked the chief of the village which people lived here. He informed me of everyone, and mentioned what species there were. There was a family of Gardevoirs, but the parents had died leaving their daughter. Her name was Megan Regaldi. The words sounded smooth to me…

That night Skit realized that I was a lot more joyous than usual. He brought me in private to ask me something.

'Hey Max, you've seen a lot more calm recently. That's not like you… What's so great buddy?'

'Oh nothing much. Just a little brightness.'

'Oh come on! You can't tell something small?'

'Well… Actually it's pretty big.'

'Then tell me. I won't tell anyone else.'

'You swear?'

'Yes. Friends until the end.'

'Alright… This will sound cheesy but… I'm in love…'

'What? Who! I don't even-'

'Please calm down! It's a Gardevoir… I saw one at a nearby meadow.'

'Saw one? You don't even know who she is and you love her?'

'I know who she is. Her name is Megan Regaldi. She's just too beautiful for me not to fall in love with her… It was like the cavern before it became evil.'

'I can't believe this…' Skit walked away after that. He was disgusted. He didn't talk to me for the next few days. I revisited the meadow often but she wasn't there. Not by the tree, or in the flowerbed, or anywhere near. I started becoming worried considering she wasn't at the village.

One day though I spotted that majesty back at the tree she was sleeping at earlier. She looked like she was asleep. I silently stepped my way behind the tree. When I was there I peered around to gaze down on her. I stared for a few seconds. The outline of her face was just incredible. I sighed and her eyes immediately shot open. I jolted back and she screamed.

'AH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! GET AWAY FROM ME!' She took a stick and shooed me away with it. But immediately she realized just what I was. 'Wait… Are you a-'

'Gallade. I am. I'm sorry I just didn't know who you were.'

'No… It's my fault I shouldn't have done that. Can we start over?'

'I don't see why not…' I was extremely hot headed, and I tried my best not to show that I was having a hard time speaking to her. I was just glad she didn't look down."

(I thought about what dad just said. Staring down because she didn't want him to see him erected… I also get too nervous about that too. Me and my dad have more in common than I thought…)

"Somehow I wasn't blushing.

'Well… My name is Megan Regaldi. And you are?'

'Max.' She paused and waved her hand expecting something to follow up. I gave her an odd look.

'Max and?'

'That's it.'

'What?'

'I don't have a last name.'

'What were your parents last names?'

'I don't know anything about my parents.' She gave a different look. Was she trying to hide feelings too? I was definitely having those sort of thoughts at the time. She looked at the tree.

'My parents are gone now. They were killed by a gigantic flaming bird of some sort.'"

(That was too coincidental. That sounded exactly like Moltres.)

"'Oh. Okay.' I couldn't take it. My voice sounded silly when I said that.

'Um… Are you alright?' She looked very concerned.

'No! Just kind of hot… is all…' I started sweating. She noticed I was uncomfortable.

'Okay… Just get under the tree.'

'I can't feel my legs.' I had gone completely numb. I just couldn't take the stress. She grabbed my arm which didn't help. I passed out.

I woke up to Skit and Megan. But I didn't wake up easily.

'Wake up.'

'…'

'Wake up damn it!'

'…'

'WAKE UP ALREADY!'

'Quiet!'

'Ungh… Where… am I?'

'Max! Thank Arceus you're okay!' Megan said hugging me. What on earth? This was love… Not the love I had felt when I saw her… Just love. Here she was hugging me. I didn't know what to do.

'Megan. What are you doing?' I asked.

'I told her everything. You know, _everything_,' Skit said. I immediately got mad. I jumped up and nearly used brick break on him. But Megan grabbed my arm.

'Max don't!' she said.

'Why not!' I yelled. She realized something. Something snapped in her mind and she brought me face to face.

'Because I love you too.' She then kissed me on the lips. My eyes glazed over. I over-enjoyed the kiss. I passed out even. I woke up later. Skit wasn't here.

'Where'd Skit go?' I asked.

'Oh he doesn't matter right now. The important thing is that me and you are here together, alone.'

'Oh… Okay.'

She snuggled right up against me. Her body warmed mine while we were in the shade. Her spike was pressed into me. The thing though is that a mating Gallade and Gardevoir have euphoric responses being with each other's spikes. It felt wonderful for her spike in my body. It made me relax and forget everything.

I spotted someone off in the distance. I knew who it was. It was Skit watching from afar. I could just barely make out a smile on his face.

'How much did Skit tell you?'

'Enough for me to know you and what you all had done. In fact, could you introduce them to me better?'

'Okay. Like me, none of us have last names. Skit, who is the Grovyle, used to be timid, back when everything was still calm. He couldn't fight well and didn't want to fight either. Now he's stronger than me, and much braver than he was. Something made him open up. Then there's Crow. Crow is Charmeleon, and he is strong. He's as strong as me, but he has a motor mouth, and doesn't exactly have the nicest temper. That put aside though, he's a great friend. Fray is the Riolu, who is mad that he hasn't evolved. If he would become a Lucario he would be as strong as us, but he simply hasn't gotten enough energy to evolve yet.'

'Then there's one more, right?'

'Yes… But he's unusual. I've never even heard of or seen any others of his species. In fact, we learned that his species used to be ancient water type warriors, but had gone mysteriously extinct. He's in his second form, and he should evolve from there. We call him Oscio, and he's by far the strongest fighter out of the five of us. Incredibly good. I often wonder how he became so skilled.'

'You wouldn't mind if I traveled along with all of you?'

'I wouldn't see why not… I'd just be a bit embarrassed though.'

'Why?'

'I'd have to present you to everyone. Only Skit, you, and me know about this relationship.'

'Oh.' She got on top of me. I could realize that you-know-what was still hard as iron. She felt it as well.

'What's that?'

'What?' I answered, blushing at the same time. I knew what she was referring to.

'It feels hard… What's there?' She pointed to where _it _was.

'Eh… Do you need to know?'

'Well I'd want to, so yes…'

'That… is my um… well… I don't know how to say it…'

'Come on, what is that!'

'Well you know how the guys have their guy parts and the ladies have their lady parts right?'

'Uh, yes. So?'

'That is my "guy part". It only gets this hard and large when you're around.' How else was I supposed to say it to her? She soon realized and blushed.

'Oh… Well… I hope you don't mind.'

'Not at all…' She just laid on top of me, ignoring the second spike that was driven into her butt.

We just laid there for a while. Enjoying being with each other. When the sun started to set, we decided to head back. Everyone got acquainted with her fairly quickly. That night was not so normal either.

While I was sleeping, I sensed something from Megan.

'Meg… what's wrong?'

'This blanket is too damp from mud… Yours looks drier. Can I squeeze in there?'

'This one is just as damp as the rest.' I kept my voice down. Oscio doesn't sleep, so he may have heard what was going on.

'Oh come on! Can't you just let me in?'

'Well… fine but keep quiet. I don't want to wake everyone up.' I let her into my small space. We had little room at all, but it felt nice just to be face to face with each other.

'Yeah, yours is better. Thank you.' She kissed me on the lips again… And the "spike" jolted stronger and farther than usual. She felt it as well. 'Does it do that often?'

'No.' I heard Oscio giggle outside. Though it wasn't as much as a giggle as it was a snort. 'Oscio, just ignore what we're saying.' That made him chuckle even harder. I just brushed him off. Soon enough Oscio came inside and saw the two of us. He smiled and got into his bed. Sometimes he sleeps, sometimes he doesn't. I don't know if there's a pattern. But he started to snore. As soon as he snored for a bit Megan got close to me. We were as close as possible. She started kissing me over and over again. I didn't have her stop. In fact, I went along with her making out with me. Unfortunately _it _would get larger and harder as we kept going along. Soon I started getting worried.

'Are you sure you're okay with it like that?'

'Yes it's fine.' She pulled my head back into position and kept making out with me.

The night lasted like this until we go tired enough to fall asleep. The next day was typical. The night she decided to stay in her own bed.

After that we started packing up. We decided that we were going to go back to the crystal cavern to investigate what had happened. That day too, Fray finally evolved into a Lucario. We had a big celebration too. He was now a lot more powerful than he was, but was still only as strong as me and Crow.

That night though was different. We were making out and we were joking around. I said 'Yow' at one point because of something she did. I forgot but it was pleasing. She followed up.

'What? Don't you like it when I do that?' We were at the tree in the meadow so no one was around to hear us. That made me tick. I immediately got much harder and practically twice as long as before. She felt it too. I saw something cross her face.

'I think we can go farther.'

'No… We've only been a couple for three days!' She ignored my counter. 'Are you really sure about this?' She nodded.

From there it is self-explanatory what we did. She said she almost sort of wanted a child. We had formed a bond that most people would have to form over several years in just a matter of a few days.

That day though, we traveled to the Crystal Sanctuary, as it was now called. The Red I had seen had now faded to a menacing black. The cavern was sickeningly frightening. We found no signs of life as we traversed.

At the end where he had found the room last time laid a gigantic beast. The one in the ice. It had calmed now, and was hulking in the room. It saw us and gave a look. It was curiosity though. It was like any other wild pokemon, except it was massive. But then I saw the room occupied by a slithering serpent and a gallant beast. They looked in. The serpent yelled while the other beast could talk.

'Why have you come here? Why!' it moaned. The serpent roared. The beast that had looked so curious had now backed away into the corner.

'We came to see what had happened.'

'YOU!' the beast echoed back. 'You curse the sanctuary by taking the holy stone. You will be punished for such a thing!' Just then the cavern opening collapsed. The place was crumbling.

'You and your friends made a mistake by coming back. We will take vengeance with frozen imprisonment!' he yelled. His disk around his bask became a bright white. Soon the cavern became extremely cold. Crow couldn't bare the cold as well as we could. Soon ice started forming up around me.

'Guys… Help… M-me…' he moaned. Shortly after Skit and Fray started freezing up. More ice surrounded them. They couldn't move. They were agonizingly cold, and were screaming for help. Soon I started feeling the cold. Megan too. Oscio could only watch in horror. He wasn't affected somehow. We huddled together. She grabbed onto me as tight as she could. I held onto her in the same way. The ice crept up us, and eventually solidified around us. We were now frozen.

'You… Monster!' Oscio yelled. The beast was taken back.

'They had no intentions of cursing this planet… It may be a hoax too! You know that devil Drake will live forever if this continues!'

'Maybe so. But will you do without your friends?'

'I'll be with my friends. I'll be there when they thaw after all that time.' Oscio surrounded everything with water. The coldness of the room immediately stopped them. The massive beasts were solidified in cages of ice. They broke free, but it was Oscio's final attempt. The attack had frozen Oscio solid though.

The ice had preserved our body. Over the next 600 years we didn't age a second. It held our strength, our will, and everything else we needed. Eventually the cavern returned to its normal blue luster; but it was never to be seen again.

In the year 612, Crow had begun to thaw. His body heat had acted up somehow and his head became visible. He melted down the rest of his crystal. The cavern had lost the cold that the monster had cast. With him free, he thawed the rest of us out. We had little idea what time it was, but we went to the end of the cavern. It was now filled with dirt in its exit. The ground must have risen while we were asleep. I dug our way upwards where we emerged out of the ground randomly.

We were in a town of some sort… but not like any I had seen. There were stone bricks as pavement and houses made of the same substance. Villagers wearing something around them, carrying tools and food I have never seen. Someone saw us and yelled for us to put some clothes on. We were run out of town, but someone had taken us 6 in. She gave us all clothes as well as a place to stay.

Her name was Altia. She was a Mienshao and she was 60 years old. She was a co-head of a resistance that was trying to bring down a tyrant that ruled all of the land. The tyrant was Drake.

He had seemed nice, but apparently his intentions were evil. I asked her to tell me what happened in the last six hundred years. She knew more than I expected.

When we were frozen the three beasts escaped their hide away, only to mysteriously disappear. Over time the tragedies started to lessen, as pokemon started honing their powers and became strong. We too had gotten stronger somehow, but for unknown reasons.

When these tragedies almost completely stopped, it was now year 432. A Hydreigon had powers beyond belief. He was worshipped by villages from all around. However with power comes the feeling of greediness. He started turning himself into an overlord. He demanded unjustly things and killed people for little reasoning. He started raising an army and would dominate the land. His empire is now at war with a neighboring empire led by a Garchomp. The Garchomp's name is Ukuli. He's just as unruly as Drake, but has better ethics. More polite, and smarter in his combat. However, Drake's kingdom is considerably wealthier.

Altia's group is known as the Resistance. It's neutral, so it doesn't side with either of them. They're sworn to resist any of Drake's or Ukuli's attempts at diminishing any more of their rights. They've seen brighter days, but they're still intact.

Things were sort of monotone, but she essentially recruited us. Annoyingly, she only would let us all stay if we were to assist her. We agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

The missions were always intense. It required 3 or 4 of us to go out at one time. I always wanted Megan to stay back. No matter how much she persisted to come with me I told her that I didn't want anything happening to her.

One day the resistance was holding a riot. Torches, pitchforks, and several other weapons were being wielded by angry villagers opposed towards Drake. She expected that some blood may be shed, so she wanted all of us to go this time. I couldn't stop Megan on this one. She instantly agreed to come along.

We saw several pokemon of all kinds shouting anti-Drake phrases with signs and pitchforks. I saw guards lined around certain buildings, forming a blockade. They had spears, and chainmail too. They looked ready to attack, and if they did it would definitely go in their favor.

She only gave us a spear that someone had stolen from the guards. Oscio fell in love with it, and carried it around at all times. It was almost like a child to him.

Speaking of children, I had started to become irrationally concerned that Megan might be pregnant. She kept telling me it was fine over and over again, but she had been getting stomach aches now and then. By now it had been 5 months since the time we had sex, and I could feel the anxiety burning inside me. My spike always felt hotter when I was around her from the start, but now it was hot in a whole different way. You already know the phases of pregnancy."

(He's saying that because I know the phases of pregnancy. It's much different from human pregnancy, so I may as well explain. As you know pokemon lay eggs, not have their children born directly out of the womb. However, development differs. While mothers have to wait awhile and their belly starts to grow, pokemon mothers won't notice it for the first 6 to 7 months. In fact, the only effect the pregnancy would have so far was giving the mother minor stomach pains. However, anywhere from 6-8 months in the pregnancy; results may vary; a week goes by known as the expansion phase. In other words, the belly only grows in that one week, and will grow no more afterwards unless it needs to. After that is where the true dramas of pregnancy happen, in the last months. At around the 9th month is where the mother will be expected to go into labor. In fact, labor is more painful for pokemon than it is for humans.

The expansion phase may also seem odd, but here is a better, more scientific way to explain why it is better for us. Because we have our children in eggs, the egg has nutrients that will make the child grow. However, that egg only forms in the 6-8 month time period in pregnancy. The fetus will stay the same size. However, the egg is much larger than the fetus. When the egg needs to form, the body will know. It will use several nutrients up and make the mothers stomach expand. Once the egg is formed, the fetus is put into the egg. It takes 1-3 months before labor since the egg needs to store nutrients for the period between being born and hatching. Eggs usually take 1-3 months to hatch. It depends on the period after expansion. In the months were the egg is still intact, the body of the child will be forming. The later the expansion, the less developed the child will be. The earlier the expansion obviously means that the child will be more developed. That's a basic lesson on pokemon pregnancy. Hope you're better informed.)

"The riot clearly started getting out of control. They started aggravating the guards. We treid to get them to stop, but they persisted. Out of nowhere, a whole line of at least 50 guards line up to form a 3 layered wall. They had small bottles around their belt. Those would now be referred to as tear juice. We yelled harder at them to stop agitating the guards.

It got to the point where their leader said, "Fire at will!" I knew that was when all hell would break loose. All of a sudden, at least 100 more guards appeared out of nowhere and started stabbing the rioters. They lobbed their tear juice bottles everywhere. People screamed bloody murder from both the pain of being stabbed and having the burning acids surround their eyes to their toes. We were in the middle of it, scrambling to get away.

Out of the sky flies a bottle, and it pours its contents all over Megan. She cried and screamed for help. It is the equivalent of pain to being set on fire. I was mad. Too mad, I grabbed Oscio's spear and ran directly towards the guards. I should have kept it to myself… I was stabbed at least a dozen times. The rest of the gang rushed to my aid, only to be fended off by spears, and Crow and Skit getting soaked in tear juice. As blood rushed out of me from several spots, I spotted something at the corner of my eye. Oscio was enraged. His body was changing. His two-legged posture shifted into a four-legged position, and his shells transformed into armor.

He had evolved into his final form; the Samurott. He took the spear he had held earlier and swirled it around in a hydro pump. To my amazement, the water kept revolving around the spear. It was a like a trident.

He used the spear to nearly obliterate every guard that was attacking us. Soon enough they backed off, and ran from Oscio. We were amazed, but couldn't stand around. I was dying. Crow and Skit were cleaned by Oscio so that they were no longer burning from tear juice. Megan had fared no better, so she was cleaned too, only to be horrified more by how I had been hurt. I was rushed back as soon as possible to Altia's house. She was horrified and tended to me immediately. There was little hope I would live. Luckily, she had a friend that was a Chansey, and knew how to care for victim's better than she did. If it weren't for that Chansey, you and I wouldn't be here right now.

That night was agonizing. Megan couldn't sleep. Nor could I. I tossed and turned every time the pain came back. Suddenly I started getting this feeling that a rift was opening. I don't know what rift, but a rift sure enough. A time rift? Maybe. It didn't matter at the moment. I tried everything to get the pain to stop. Nothing worked. Eventually I started crying. I felt helpless just sitting here letting the pain take way. Megan apparently woke up to my soft weeping. She just hugged me tightly. She pulled me back down into the bed and began to sing.

'Silent night. Holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and child. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.' Her singing had brought me to sleep quickly. I ignored the pain as I let the music surround me.

The news of the attack had spread like wildfire. Suddenly panic swept across the villagers. I saw few out on the street over time. My wounds had healed quickly, and we were put up to yet more assignments. Soon enough, Skit evolved. He was as tall as me now, and was very agile. Eventually Crow followed. About a week after Skit evolved Crow did too. Our entire team started to look more mature than we had ever been.

And then the historic burning came. You don't know this, but it's an important history event. Tired of the Resistance, Drake had made a pact with Ukuli to wipe out all of the members of the Resistance. They made several thousands of torches and fire bearing items, and went through towns burning anyone they suspected of being in the Resistance. Needless to say, the Resistance was wiped out.

Our house was burned in the process. They also killed anyone who came out. We put up a fight though. The fight allowed Altia to escape. Not even someone that old should be skewered to death.

It was an endless swarm of soldiers. We fought and fought and soon we realized that they would keep coming. At a point when we knocked them back, we hightailed ourselves out of there. We got to the top of the building. All of a sudden we heard a roar. Only the 6 of us though. The next thing we know, a large flash occurs that only we could see, and we are swept away, clear out of sight.

The next time we come to, its 761. 150 years farther into the future. The world had aged since then. The clothes had gone from rugged to fine. Armor was harder and lighter. Weapons now had shifted from spears to swords. It was medieval essentially."

(Ironically, the previous years also sounded medieval.)

"It was about to become year 762, and we had our own house in fact. We made money by getting jobs and renting out a room that had enough room for all of us. There wasn't a main focus; Ukuli and Drake somehow were still living and still at war. We just ignored everything and went by their rules. We were living in Ukuli's kingdom now. We had moved. Things were actually very monotonous. We started getting used to the fact that nothing would probably change. We lived another year in peace until that peace was disturbed. Out on a public walk, Drake was giving a public speech. He recognized Oscio and immediately sent his guards to capture us. We ran and eventually had to fight the guards. What really confused me is how Drake had gotten into Ukuli's land. We ran all about the landscape until some of Ukuli's soldiers had gotten attention. They drew their bows and started shooting down the soldiers chasing us.

Oscio still had his spear, and he still carried it around wherever he went. We ran into a dead end and there was still a dozen guards. He started spinning the spear like it was a helicopter's blade. He grabbed onto me and I started to raise from the ground. Oscio had started propelling us away! It was genius! I grabbed onto Skit who grabbed onto Fray who grabbed onto Crow who grabbed onto Megan. We were whisked out into the sky and brought back to safety. The story was much larger than that though.

Drake had been spotted and killed on sight. Someone had told Ukuli about us and he wanted to see us immediately. However, the same roar occurred that night. The same flash and everything. After all that we were going forward in time again? It seemed rude and disturbing with whatever was causing this.

This roar brought us from 762 to 995. If you recall Zach, you were born in 999. It's now 1013, although that will change in a bit.

We were amazed how much technology had changed in the last years. It was almost hard to get into the swing of light switches, electronics, cars and many other things. However, what was important was getting married. From the moment we heard about it, we had instantly wanted to be married. We were going to be married on December 12th this year.

Believe it or not, Ukuli was secretly in charge. However, he was committing such terrible crimes, and had faked history. Ukuli had freed warriors that destroyed an organization that swore to remove Ukuli as the king. However, he had several crimes that I had found out. Ukuli had stolen trillions of poké from banks across the continent. He had tortured the heads of the organization called Tristuli. Don't get me wrong; Tristuli had done quite a few bad things. Ukuli had them executed in the most painful way he could think of. He locked them in a room with one light and several mirrors all around. It was so hot that they melted to death. It was horrifying.

We all saw that Tristuli had a right for wanting to take Ukuli out of office. We vowed to remove him at all costs. We made our own organization known as the Legion. It's duty was to get rid of Ukuli and bring justice to what he has done. Over time we started gaining more power. We held mission like the Resistance had did those years ago.

That winter of the year 995 had changed so much in history, and yet it is never documented. It was December 12th, and the missions were heating up. In fact, the organization was becoming more and more volatile. We were removed from the heads that day and banished from the legion. It was now in the hands of an Absol named Cartsen. He was the strongest of all the people in the organization and had secretly wanted us out from the start. He started recruiting several other people, most of them dark types. This was how the dark legion formed. We did not want it to happen, but we were forced out of office.

That same day… Too much happened.

Someone close to Ukuli had found out about the Legion. He wanted to strike at the heart and capture the leaders of the organization. He had been told who they were. However, for some reason, Megan and I were excluded. He was only told about Oscio, Fray, Crow, and Skit.

He ambushed them while they were out to lunch. Megan and I were elsewhere. They were caught off guard, and just that once Oscio didn't have his trusty spear with him. They were taken by force and imprisoned. They are still now to this date. When word reached it was hard to believe. I cried. I missed them already at the time. It was catastrophic what this day had become.

There's more reason why this day was hell. Megan's stomach had started to swell with what would become your brother. We were completely unprepared. She had been getting stomach aches for a while now, ever since we got here. We saw the doctor and he gave her medication. It helped, but didn't get rid of the stomach aches. I started to become a bit concerned but just brushed it off.

Just then, December 11th I thought I saw something off with her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something that didn't seem right about Megan. I didn't realize it, but her belly was bigger than usual. She didn't notice and neither did I. It was too late by the end of the day. There was a visible difference in size from the start of the day to the end of it. We didn't care because we were tired.

In the morning though it was bigger than it was before she had gone to bed. I was worried and set her up for a doctor's appointment. When we went the doctor confirmed that she was pregnant. I was overwhelmed. I spent most of the day crying aside from one last issue other than the three previous ones.

This last curse was that our wedding had been cancelled. They were using the church for more "important" purposes and there was nowhere else to go. We were devastated. It seemed like this day was to keep getting worse and worse.

I was breaking down at the end of the night. Megan didn't want to sleep with me that night, and I was left alone in a bed. I saw the stomach medication on the side of the dresser on her side of the bed. I knew every medicine had to be lethal in enough doses, so I took the entire bottle of medicine in one swallow.

Needless to say I nearly died. I started gagging at one point due to suffocation. Megan had heard and called 911 immediately. I was rushed to the hospital.

I was so damn lucky. They said one more pill and I would have been a dead man. One more minute and I would have been dead. I just didn't realize how I survived though. Just then Megan told me.

'Max… Why… Why would you leave me alone?'

'What do you mean…?'

'This is the worst time to be all alone… I shouldn't have left you alone this night.'

'I'm sorry… It's all my fault… I'm sorry I got you pregnant.'

'Wait… You're sorry for that?'

'Huh?'

'Max, don't be sorry for something so simple! I'm not sad about this. I like us having a child. We'll be a family… Something you never had.'

That brought tears into my eyes for many reasons. To hear that I was still loved after doing something so absurd was part of it. The other part is about her noting that I never was part of a family. It made me cry. I never even got to know my parents… And that was almost a thousand years ago.

That night Megan slept by my side. When the doctors weren't around she would actually get on the bed with me. I felt her stomach bulge into mine. Now that she was fine with it, I liked the idea of having a kid too. Her belly was warm, and it fit into a perfect shape with mine. Despite everything, it was probably the best I had ever rested in my life.

Though I didn't have quite the best disposition after that day when I discovered a fact. Today was December 13th, and it was Friday the 13th. I had discovered that Ukuli new about the wedding and ordered it to be shut down. It made me extremely mad. I had formulated an idea to kill him. After all he had done to my friends and other innocent people, I would have my revenge. The Legion was also trying to kill him. In fact, they tried to stop me at the entrance so I couldn't even try to sneak in.

They were wrong. I used Oscio's spear to crush them all. It was hard but the hardest was still yet to come.

He lived in a massive house that was surrounded by guards. Since my target was Ukuli, I ignored all guards and stood low.

It took me a good hour to get to his office, and when I did, he was reading papers. He was extremely old and weary looking. He was over-aged; almost 500 years old. He used magic apparently to keep himself alive, but I assume it was just luck and good health.

I didn't make myself subtle with my entrance. I walked into his room and he was clearly surprised.

'Who are you?'

'I'm here for some negotiations.'

'What are you talking about?'

'You cancelled my wedding and imprisoned my friends. I want my revenge.'

'So you're _the _Max? Well I'm quite surprised, but you really shouldn't have come here.'

All of a sudden, he hit me with a dragon breath. I didn't expect it, so I took the full force. We fought a battle that would affect history. I underestimated him. He was still incredibly good at fighting, and would take my moves.

But in the end, he was just too old. He didn't have the stamina to keep fighting, and I towered over him while he was on the ground.

'What are these negotiations…?'

'There's only one. And it's unavoidable. Death.'

I took the spear and stabbed it into his head. He squirmed around and then died. The blood on the spear was black. He was so old his blood had lost its iron.

My business was done. I went home and rested well. Megan was okay with what I had done. She had hated him too, and felt that he deserved to die for all the bad things he had done.

From that point forward would begin our life. I didn't want to think what trying to break Oscio and everyone else would be like. Guards everywhere, heavily armed, and under tight observation and lockdown.

We fled Terra City out of fear that we would be hunted down. We sought shelter in Heidelberg.

This country had thought that the Legion had killed Ukuli. Out of anger, they formed a country called Avengia. Better known as the Avengers. They wanted to destroy the Legion for what they did to Ukuli.

The Legion had accumulated land through pure war and were starting to take larger steps in technology advancement. They had a better chance from the start.

Brian was born February 2nd, 996. We weren't sure what to name him at first, but then we remembered a friend all those years ago back in that small town where we met. We named him that in honor to him, as he helped us before we went to the Crystal Sanctuary.

The next years were peaceful. Through 996-998 all we cared about was being together. We had received enough money from the government that could last us 10 life times and still have enough money left over to retire.

We made love one March morning. It was a beautiful morning and Brian was asleep. I had been good helping her over the last few days, so she wanted to "reward" me.

After that, I didn't realize what should have been obvious. Stomach pains that wouldn't end yet always felt the pain. There was almost a pattern. Then in that September week, I could see her belly swelling up yet again. I took her to the doctor and she confirmed we were having another child.

You know the story. Megan went into labor December 25th, 998. However, she couldn't push the baby out because she felt sick. No matter what she tried she couldn't give birth. On the night of the 31st, the doctors were getting worried. They gave her pain relievers as well as some stimulants. She felt good enough to try. Just as the clock struck 12:00 to signal the new year, you had just come out of her womb. The first baby of the year. We were all surprised about your blue spikes and your red head. But it didn't matter. We had our second child and we nurtured you from there on.

But now… I was hoping I could lead a regular life. I guess the son of a hero has to be one too. Though honestly… I wasn't fighting crime at this age. You're ahead of the group Zach.

I know this must have all come as a shock to you… But it had to be told now. How do you feel?"

I had forgotten all my senses except hearing and thinking. I was engrossed in the story. All of it amazed me. Vic felt the same way. I had even forgotten the pain of the bullet wound, ever so annoyingly close to my spike.

"I'm feeling better. Do you know where the rest of your gang is?"

"Yes… But it's somewhere that you may not be expecting," dad said.

"Well I've faced down enough crazy bullshit so far, so it can't be _that _bad. Tell me," I demanded.

"Well… Off the coast of Hontia lies a very small island. So small that you can't see it, even off the tip of the Hontia cape. Boaters aren't allowed to go to the island. It even says, 'Trespassers will be killed' on various parts around the complex. They're kept there. Four cells just four them. The island is inescapable," he proclaimed.

"Inescapable up to date," I said. I wanted to do something for my dad. He's been through more than I have, and definitely has burdens and feelings on himself that are worse than mine.

"Zach… Wait… Why did you want to go to Hontia?" he asked.

"Well… It's something unrelated. In fact something I'd only be willing to share with you," I told him. "A storm will be hitting Hontia directly. I've figured this out, and there is a 100% chance that it will during the time that we set up to vacation there. This storm though is worse than a hurricane. There's a secret to this storm that is very important too. It had to do with a myth."

"Zach… You're sure you can trust him?" Vic asked in my mind.

"He's my dad. We can trust him," I told Vic.

"Is there something I don't know?" Dad asked.

"Yes. The storm should cast the largest and strongest lightning bolt in existence. That bolt will summon the mythical electric beast dog Raikou. The reason why I need to see Raikou is different. It has to do with something known as the Victini seal," I told him.

…

WOW. THIS, WAS, FUN.

I'm starting to really get a kick out of writing all this. I honestly felt that this chapter has been one of my best. I think my best was Vosa Nové though. Just personally.

I had cope with the amount of smut put into this. I was even a bit uncomfortable with writing all of it. But a writer's got to do what a writer's got to do. I didn't let my immaturity get the best of me and held strong through it.

That noted, there will not be this level of sexual content for a LONG time.

How long? Let's wait until Senior year shall we? No kidding around. This is the most perverted the series will get for a long time. There will be some scenes but not to the degree that was described here.

I wonder if my viewers liked those though. It wasn't bad to write them, it just felt different writing about stuff that would make my parents blush.

Also, I may be getting stalled up in the future. A 50-50 chance really. If the positive 50 works, than the next chapter should come out in 2-3 weeks. If the negative 50 happens, than maybe a month. I've also been trying to draw pictures. I want to express my art more vividly than through words. I've been debating which software to try out, but I'm low on time so I actually haven't had very much time to even try out a software of some sort.

I'll probably be doing a lot of skyrim too in the near future. I have the game and I want to play it so badly, but can't since I'm pre-occupied.

Other than this there is nothing to go over. If you liked this story _**please**_, I encourage you to leave a review if you have positive feedback. If you didn't like this story, keep thoughts to yourself or give constructive criticism. I don't want anyone ratting me down if you'd be so kind. If you want to know when this story updates you can add it to your favorites list or alert list.

I'm Deathlark, and I'm signing off.

~DTH~


	9. Chapter 9, Hontia

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokémon Fanfiction. Chapter 9, Hontia

Author's Note: Well here we are again. This time though it won't be as extensive. We're back into present time, and things get quite heated up. This and the next make up the climax of the first half of this year. After that, the slates almost completely wiped except with new events.

I'm starting to think that some people aren't too intent on reading 10000 word chapters. Maybe they'd enjoy the shorter style. Oh well. Those people aren't getting any around here.

Though I do give thanks to whoever has read this story and continues to read as I update. It's nice to know that people appreciate the hard work I put into this stuff.

Sorry for the tardiness, as my mind got stale several times, as well as taking a break to settle out things in my life. After next chapter is when my new story starts up, and I'll be ramming three of those chapters in a row instead. I'll need a break from creating 5 simultaneous chapter (which is over HALF the series so far) in a row.

Everything set aside, it's reading time! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: No rights to pokemon owned here. SORRY!**

...

"_What happens when the person attacks the possessor of the hand that feeds them?"_

_Arcotti Norelli_

_Historian, Fearow, 843-900_

…

"The what seal?" my dad asked.

"It's odd to explain. A long time ago I went into a volcano to find fire stones to make some money. However, I took a wrong turn and got lost. I stumbled on a little creature. He was extremely strong though, and had incredible powers. He implanted a seal on me that was shaped V. It gave me unusual powers, and he taught me a few. I could copy something put it into a mental inventory. I could only copy once, but once it was in the inventory, I could take it back again whenever I wanted. It only works on non-living things," I explained. His eyes were wide open in shock.

"How long have you known this…?" he asked.

"Two years. In fact, through the powers of the seal I can communicate with the Victini, as well as learn moves that Gallades would regularly be unable to learn, but they have to be tutored to me," I told him.

"This… Is all insane… It's hard to believe you…" he moaned.

"Do you want proof?" I said. I teleported a book out of thin air. He was immediately surprised. "This must all be some sort of crazy occurrence. You should really know what happened over the past few times."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've had to be away twice now. Once a day and then I wound up in a car crash. The other time it was a miracle that I survived the explosion. Well I must correct in what really happened. The first time was actually me getting kidnapped by a dark legion member. I went all the way to Cortia City, and they made me get on a helicopter. They got about three miles into the sky, but I had broken free of their chains. I killed both of them with sneak and weapons, but then the controls malfunctioned. I plummeted out of the sky but lived due to the helicopter's roll cage. I recovered for those two weeks but then the explosion happened. What really occurred is that another dark legion tried to assassinate me by igniting the school. Just for me…

I had no way of escaping except to blow up this half of the school. It launched me extremely high into the sky, and sent me flying so fast that I landed on top of a skyscraper in Vosa Nové. When I was there a paranoid doctor hired two dark legions to kill me. I evaded them both, and had to try and get out of the city. I wandered around and heard that a bar tender might be able to get me out. I got the directions, and had to cross the town to get there. At night, I was tired and met a group of street performing Kadabras with their Alakazam guardian. They gave me a place to stay for the night, when I was ambushed by one of the dark legions at the hospital. I used a super move, that I'll get to in a bit. I then went to the area to escape. Had a few troubles, but got out safely and got home safely too.

Now I said I used a super move. The truth be told, one day I had a suspension, but I didn't tell you about it so I could go to the volcano where I met the Victini, or as I refer to him, just Vic. It turns out that a legendary bird named Moltres lived in the area. There's also a massive underground lava sanctuary beneath that volcano… I loved the beauty of it. Anyways, Vic brought me to meet Moltres. Remember how I could learn any move that could be tutored? Well Moltres taught me an extremely powerful version of fire punch. It has more power than a hyper beam. It's also a lot larger than a hyper beam too. Ever since then, I use it as a dire situation sort of move, because it really tires me out if I use it.

So you may be wondering what this all has to do with me getting shot, as well as going to Hontia. With me being shot, it's a whole new story. Due to some bad experiences, I had become too paranoid. You remember the whole business with me punching Brian right? Well I had thrown up so overwhelmed by the paranoia and I stumbled upon the Gardevoir waiting out there in the lobby. She wanted to help, but I tried to get her away. She wanted to know why I was sick and paranoid, and she persisted no matter how much I didn't want to tell her. I finally knew what was best for me and told her everything… And she didn't believe me!

She held onto that grudge for a few weeks, and then it was the football game. When I was watching, I spotted a shady man with an unusual item that he was carrying. I immediately followed him and saw he had set up bombs all over the underground management of the football field. There wasn't enough time to get rid of the bombs, so I cut off all the power instead. The Gardevoir didn't react so nicely. She found me and pinned me onto the ground. Just then, the shady man, who was a Bisharp, was standing there just staring at both of us angrily. Because she had knocked me down in a bad way, it sort of hurt to stand up. However, she poked fun at the Bisharp, which led me to being shot.

You know the rest of that, so how about I answer Hontia. A while ago I found out about a mythical thunder dog named Raikou. He only comes down to earth when the strongest lightning bolt in his storm hits the highest ground in the area. He stays there for a minute to take in some fresh air, and then leave with his storm. Incidentally, the storm is stronger and larger than a hurricane. I found out that this storm was going to go over Hontia, and you wanted ideas for a vacation. I knew that Raikou could teach me something, so I suggested that we could go there since the storm would be passing over. In fact, the end of school is in a few days, and we leave the last day of school before break," I said. My dad must be overwhelmed by all the information. He was clearly stunned.

"Okay… Zach. I'm going to tell mom all this. Just… rest here," he said. I nodded. He left the room. I saw a bottle of water next to my bed. I took it zealously and chugged it all in one. I was parched. Just then I heard knocking.

"Come in," I groaned. Brian opened the door and walked in.

"Hey bro… Just wanted to check on you… Haven't been able to sleep a wink," he said.

"No kidding. Brian… Dad just explained a lot to me. You need to hear it as well. This may come as a shock; but it shouldn't be as shocking as what I've been through," I said. I told him the entire story. His eyes were wide open by the end of it. He said he was tired so he left. I still heard mild sobbing from outside. Was that Alexis or mom? Either way it was clearly grief that was causing it all. I got up. Despite everything I was already feeling much better, aside from the slight pain by my spike. I looked out and saw Alexis at the end of the hall, with John by her side. Patting her on the back. She had her head in her lap, arms around her head. I saw John get up and leave. He must be tired. I looked and saw the clock and it said 3:21. Very early…

I opened up the door. I didn't care if anyone saw me in my boxers and blue apron. I just eyed her at the end of the hallway. She didn't look up. I felt exhausted just then, so I closed the door, got back in bed, and slept like a rock.

It made me wonder… Just how much worse was emotional pain then physical pain?

…

POVS (Point of view switch)

…

I woke up late in the afternoon. 2:32. I had spent all night crying myself asleep… yet I hardly fell asleep at all. I had nightmares based on what I had done. I was still having trouble keeping back the tears. I got out into the hospital hall. The Regaldi's and John were going out to lunch, leaving Zach here. They decided to leave me alone I guess.

When I walked out into the hall I saw Zach just leave his room. He looked very groggy, and uninterested in his surroundings. He went to the nearest bathroom. I was the only one besides Mrs. Regaldi that hadn't talked to him. I wanted to change that.

I waited about a minute until he came walking back. He saw me this time, and I walked up to him.

"Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?" I asked. I wanted to seem as casual as normal, but it was hard keeping the strain out of my voice.

"I don't mind," he answered. His voice sounded rough, and not the regular strong that it was.

"You sound a bit worse…" I said. I was just calling it as it is.

"I'm infected with some virus from the bullet. They say that it'll mainly mess up just my voice. I'm still somehow in good physical condition," he responded. He plopped down on his bed, clearly tired. He had 12 empty water bottles in three different trash cans. He took a thirteenth, and chugged it down in 20 seconds. I observed him and started to figure out something in my head.

"I think that virus may be making you thirsty," I said.

"Maybe… I don't care, I just need water," he said. All of a sudden my eyes began to water. I wiped them away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah… just thinking… Do you hate me now?" I asked.

"No… You didn't know what you were doing," he said.

"I shouldn't have been so foolish," I pouted.

"You don't have to be mad at yourself," he argued. I looked up. "Look… Here's the point. You're going to go back home with John. You're not going to tell ANYONE, under ANY circumstances. Only if the dark legion finds you should then say something. But not to your parents, friends, relatives, or anyone else important. My family is going to Hontia, for reasons that I can't tell you. I think with all that's just happened that there should be no questions."

"Okay… Zach?" I asked one last time.

"Yes?" he asked back.

"… Be careful. I know this may sound ridiculous, but be careful. Whatever you plan to do in Hontia, make sure it isn't too much," I warned. He nodded. I then walked out of the room. So I would go home. Suddenly school seemed distant. Even relations with Jake and John M…

Could it be love? I don't know. I can't determine it. I'll just see what happens between me and Zach. Though he's definitely attractive… I could see why all the Gardevoirs had admired him that first day in physical education.

I need to figure things out. Zach clearly has been through more than I could ever imagine, and I've known him for only 4 months. In that time several unusual things have occurred. Rumors about him, crushes on him, rivalries towards him, and much more. But he's been pummeled, shot, fallen from three miles out of the sky, and only Arceus knows more.

But why do I feel like I love him? Maybe that Bisharp pointed something out. All this time I've been rejecting it, but… I do love him. I have to face the facts.

…

Okey, reverse POVS

…

Dad was rallying everyone for the trip to Hontia. As it turns out, John's family was also vacationing in Hontia. I didn't care too much for Alexis. She was more of a just a bump in the road now.

I explained to John why I was going to Hontia, and he seemed quite concerned. He didn't like the idea about going into the storm, considering his parents had no idea about it. He was also worried about me having to run into the heart of the storm.

It has been a long past two days. With getting shot, and listening to dad's story, if that wasn't a wake up slap already, then this would have to do. Going to Hontia was very serious business, considering what I intend to do there.

However, another thing caught my eye. The storm would actually come a few days after we got to Hontia. That meant we had some _actual_ vacation time.

I should pretty much sum up everyone's reactions to the Hontia trip.

I am afraid, yet excited. I'm scared of the danger the storm will bring, but I also am excited to try and meet Raikou.

John is somewhat afraid, but is happy about being in Hontia. It's quite famous for its beaches, and he says he definitely wants to spend time there.

Brian was originally resistant to the idea, but when he heard that John's family was coming along (including Rachel), he couldn't resist. It was the first time they would spend vacation time with each other since two years ago. He was elated.

Dad was definitely the most hesitant about all of this. He was afraid that I would get hurt in several different ways, and I don't think he was convinced that I was able to handle myself. Yet, he agreed to go on the trip.

Mom didn't seem to care too much, except she was afraid of the storm that would come.

And then something terrifying showed up on the news.

"BREAKING NEWS! URGENT REPORT! A.J. RON IS DEAD!"

When I first heard those words on the TV, I stopped drinking the water I had. He had been shot and stuffed in a closet. This must be massive.

"Investigators have found that he was killed by an item that the Dark Legion had manufactured. All the figureheads are screaming for more attention towards the war over the loss of their leader figurehead."

I knew this couldn't end well. Now that a Dark Legion had gone and killed Ron, things will be a lot more hectic.

A government limousine drove us to the airport. I sat in the front seat while everyone else sat in the back. It was a silent ride, with no one even daring to usher a word to break the silence. It was a good two hours away, but we had a few hours before our plane left. Alexis was leaving later than the rest of us.

The Terra City was the largest airport in the Avenger side of the world. It was massive, and had twelve different wings, and over 50 miles of just runway. It was always crowded with businessmen as well as travelers and families. This entire thing though was government paid, so we were getting bodyguards while in the airport, and on the flight. After that they had other work to do elsewhere. We didn't want to ask.

We skipped security as several people all around looked at us eerily. I heard some complaining, but they soon realized that these were federal agents. They must have wondered why someone like me would be protected by the government considering my age and size… I was short for a Gallade my age.

A few hours later it was time. The plane to Hontia was now boarding, and the guards had to leave early due to urgent reasons. I reinforced Alexis about not talking about this incident at all. I think she had it clear in her mind now. I didn't do anything but look back one last time before I got on the plane. Her face was embedded with sorrowful cracks in the white skin… It was supposed to be smooth, but at times so dark… Gallades and Gardevoirs will lose most of their shine, in more ways than one.

The plane ride was interesting. Hontia was on the other side of the continent from Heidelberg, so it would be a half-day long ride there. It was plenty of time to rest.

They offered only me first class, though I said I would ride first class only if everyone else could get it too. In the end, there were luckily enough spots for the five of us to ride first class. Me and Brian sat together with John across from us and mom and dad behind us. I zoned out to talk with Vic. We hadn't had a serious talk in a very long.

"Hey Vic… All this news must be coming to you like a jolt of blood to the head," I told him.

"Yes… This is all quite hectic. First the episode with Alexis not believing you, and then getting shot… This must be a pretty traumatic experience," he noted.

"It has been. At least it's time for Hontia. This shouldn't be too bad aside from the storm," I said in my usual tone. I sensed uncertainty in Vic.

"You say that so nonchalantly yet this storm will destroy Hontia… Plus you plan to just deflect the largest and most powerful bolt of lightning in the world," Vic complained.

"I am aware of how this storm will go. I also revised my plan about protecting the bell. I'll get a large mound of dirt from the earth and place it above the bell just before it strikes… It's a better and safer way of just trying to deflect it instead," I reassured Vic. He started to relax more.

"You're still insane in my book by the way. If somehow your convoluted scheme works, I'll actually teleport to you since I know Raikou and have not talked with him in a very long time," Vic told me.

"I'm fine, just as I learn something interesting from him… He will teach me something, right?" I asked.

"He probably won't unless I'm there, so I'll have to come to you beforehand. He won't trust any random person, even if it's a red Gallade. He's actually quite out of touch with the modern world, so you may appear odd to him. He still acts as if he was living 1000 years ago," he said. Wait… 1000 years ago… That's right…

"Wait… Vic. I need to explain something to you. My dad is not regular. He's someone completely different and important than who he claims to be. He told me a story of his past… He's traveled through time," I said. Vic's eyes widened.

"Dialga wouldn't-" he said.

"Just listen! I need to tell you this. It all began…" I said. I told him the story over a span of 15 minutes. He was astonished.

"Wow… That's insane," he said.

"Yes. But an important thing is that he said his parents were taken and killed by a massive flaming bird. It's obviously Moltres, right?" I asked.

Vic thought a moment. "I need to ask Moltres telepathically. This may be a moment." I disconnected from our psychological chat room and came back into reality. I looked over at Brian. He was on his iPod and I saw the time. We left at 1:30 P.M. and would arrive at roughly 2:30 A.M. It was now 4:23… Still 10 hours to go. Soon Vic came back.

"Yeah… Moltres remembers that. He said he needed food for his villagers and the crops were running low. I'm… so sorry… about what happened to your grandparents," Vic sorrowfully replied. I felt a bit of grief for my dad. I knew one of the strongest moves in the world from a being that killed my grandparents. I felt a twinge of a mix of pain in rage in my spike. It disheveled me.

"How's the bullet wound holding up?" Vic asked.

"Getting better. It's going to be a pain that will just act up now and then… It's gonna bug me. It's inevitable," I answered. Something didn't seem right. Was Vic hiding something?

It didn't matter to me. I took a nap until the dinner was served on the plane. I had reheated fruits and vegetables with a side of steak. It was as good as airline food could get (even though it still wasn't as good as an average meal on the ground). The next four hours passed quickly. It was now 10, and I wanted to review everything.

Mostly based on my social relations though. John will never treat me the same again. He'll act differently towards me and others most likely. It's clear in that. Brian… already protects me but might worry more. I've told him to stay out of things but he always wants to intercept whatever goes on. I admit, he did save my life in the shooting, as well as Alexis's, but he might get too involved. The same goes for mom and dad.

Though Alexis… Something changed in her. I'm not sure if it was guilt or realization about this entire mess. She realized that I had been through a hell of a lot more than anyone she's known. I feel sorry for her in that she unwillingly got mixed up into all this.

"What are you thinking about?" Vic suddenly surged in.

"H-hey! I'm just… uh…" I stuttered. I didn't know how to put it into words.

"You're thinking about Alexis. I can read your thoughts Zach, remember that. You pity her quite a bit," Vic noted. I looked down at my crotch. Fortunately my pants didn't have a dent, but I was firmly erected. "What's this?"

"Don't get any funny ideas," I scorned.

"Oh come on. You have to admit she's very attractive," Vic said.

"Maybe she is, but I'm not going to fall for someone who got me shot," I angrily told him. I disconnected again and went to sleep. I forgot all about this in a few seconds.

I woke up in the middle of the night again. Another horrid nightmare. Not surprisingly, I felt immersed in a pool of my own sweat and the seat had been soaked. I took a towel that I had secretly stuffed in my backpack and dried myself off. Brian woke up.

"Gah… What is it?" he asked.

"Another nightmare," I moaned.

"Man… Those must really bite. What are they about?" he asked.

"I think you know what my nightmares are about," I said. Brian knew. I fell asleep again more tired than usual.

I was awoken we had landed. It still looked like it was night time, and we were escorted into another limousine. I looked out to the ocean... It was clear now, but tonight a black cloud the size of this city was going to appear on the horizon. We were going to make the most of our day going to beaches and touring the places, as well as eating exquisite food that was only available here.

Honestly, today I just wanted to relax. We didn't go anywhere for last year's summer vacation, and I desperately needed a break from my hectic life.

Our first plan was to sleep and get to our hotel. We got a room on the ground floor the farthest away that we could get from the ocean yet still be in short distance of the main attractions of the city. John met up with his parents, and they got the same room as the hotel.

*Sigh*

Mom and dad…

Rachel and Brian…

It's annoying me now. Vic is teasing me too much and it's starting to piss me off. I don't NEED love. It would be a convenience if I could actually find a relationship, but I don't have a crush, and don't specifically _know _anyone who does have a crush on me! It's disorienting!

Not to mention how confusing business at school has been. Not only Alexis makes me skeptic but several other girls just act too unusual around me! I've seen them from afar and they act nothing like they do around me.

The other issue is that being in love would change me too much. I have too many secrets to hide as well as having an unstable personality. That's my other issue, in that it seems like no one would fit me right.

It's something that I just wish I could ignore, if it weren't in my face every time I think about Vic.

I'll have to cope with it one way or another…

…

"X has gone missing. Ron is dead too. Plus, the football field confirmed not to blow up, so there's a good chance Zach survived," the agent told the advisor.

"Interesting. Any evidence of a relation?" the advisor asked.

"Not yet. We're going to continue focusing our attempts to seize/terminate Zach Regaldi. Please notice Alastor about that," the agent replied.

"Will do. You are dismissed," the Advisor replied.

…

=Governmental Document=

= Year: 1013 L: XRS #578=

=Report from Agent Blake Tony=

=Over the past four months, we've been keeping a close monitor on Zach Argsti Regaldi. His physical capacity is ever growing, as well as intellect, but we've started to see a rapid influx in mental health deterioration. He's becoming ever more depressed and frustrated with his life. It may be urged that he might need mental help. He appears to not realize his mental issues.

On another note, an unusually large storm has been spotted off the coast of Hontia, as well as the Regaldi family and Johnson family traveling to the same location. This was at a similar time to when A.J. Ron was assassinated. There may be some coincidence to everything, but we are not completely sure.

On a last note, Max Regaldi seems to have acquired a gun, and it may still be functioning. If we can acquire this gun, or a gun, we may be able to mass produce these and their ammo given time. Currently our warfare strategies are too volatile to obtain a gun, considering only special agents of the Legion have them. If we manage to find these Legion agents before they can strike, we may just get a gun, and give us a phenomenal boost in arms for fighting the war.

The only question is where to start, and how.=

…

I was the first to wake up this morning. The sun shone deeply through my window. We were all given private rooms. Mom and dad got theirs, Mr. and Mrs. Regaldi got theirs, Zach got his own, and obviously Sis and Brian got theirs.

It rarely occurs to me just what they do in their free time… Nah, me and my stupid perverted mind. Sure they're seniors but they can't be pulling those sort of activities.

We were all going down to the breakfast hall to eat. I knew what was in store today. Mostly going to the beach and eating fine cuisine, and then all hell would break loose. It was funny to think we were vacationing in paradise yet it was going to be worse than hell in a matter of thirty minutes. I was scared honestly. Zach, as strong as he is, is still just only 14. I'm not sure if he can manage to get to the top of a hill during the wildest tempest ever brewed up out at sea. It shows determination to meet this Raikou person.

I rushed my way to the elevator. I was starving, and had already showered by now. I was dressed casually; grey t-shirt, and loose jeans. I had a verification card so it would be easy to go anywhere here. The pool was nice, but it was missing a hot tub, so we all agreed to go to the beach instead. By the time I got to the elevator, I saw a door close down the hall. It was Zach.

"Hey wait up!" he called out. I pushed the open door button in an instant. "Thanks."

"Hey there. How was your sleep?" I asked. I knew he had been getting horrible nightmares recently.

"Fortunately well. No nightmares or anything of the sort," he said, as he cracked a smile. He didn't smile very often, but his smile was that sort of smile that just makes you feel good inside. It was the warm, friendly smile that your grandpa would give you.

"Good to hear. I'm starvin' so I need some food. How about you?" I asked.

"I forgot my lap top in the car. It was a gift for Arthur's Day," he told me. I nodded. We got to the ground floor. It was only 8:32, and the rest of us needed all the sleep we could get. Today was going to be chaotic, especially at nightfall. I convinced my parents to go back to the hotel before 10:00, as Zach said that was when the storm would come. He was going to go up to the bell to meet this Raikou apparently. I had no idea who Raikou was or how he looked.

I went into the dining room and immediately filled up two plates with eggs, waffles, pancakes, bacon, cereal, and any other staple of a breakfast meal. Zach came back and filled up his plate with a lot more bacon, but just as much overall as I had. However, he ate it down a few minutes before I did… Well everyone eats differently. I asked him if he could show me a picture of Raikou, but there is no confirmed one apparently.

All of a sudden I started to wonder something. Quite a few pokemon have a star appendage, as it's called, yet Blazikens do not have any. The entire Ralts family line has their spike as the appendage, and it is incredibly fragile. I looked at Zach's deep blue spike and something didn't seem right. All spikes were naturally straight, but his curved up and pointed sharper than usual. I'm not sure if it was anything unusual, but he doesn't seem to notice that.

"Hey- Zach… Your spike isn't irregularly shaped at all, is it?" I asked him.

"It's a less common shape, but it still seems to occur. The upward curve occurs about a third of the time a Kirlia becomes a Gallade," he answered.

"Okay just wondering is all…" I chimed out. He seemed more independent after being shot. I don't know why…

Soon enough everyone else woke up and ate. We just went up to our rooms to get dressed into bathing suits for the beach. Zach wears a full body suit, while I just wear some trousers. His brother also wears trousers, and everyone else is just average.

Zach apparently learned how to surf, unlike the rest of us. I know only the basic, but he's learned from a tutor. It's impressive how he can ride the waves, and even get airtime off the crests of them. I mainly body-boarded instead, while mom and dad and the rest of the Regaldi's stayed on the beach. At one point Zach knew a trick in where he could get under the sand, and Brian had taught him this. At the point where the waves wet the sand, but not too heavily, you could start digging under it, and created a stable crevice while doing so. Unfortunately it was steep, so we would just go down a hole. Instead, we dug an 8 foot hole in roughly 20 minutes the size in which I could fit down there. It was hilarious, considering I was the tallest out everyone here (yes, the tallest).

We went to a restaurant that specialized in more spicy foods, using certain peppers and berries to add a zest. It was a delicious meal, not to say, a talkative one too. We talked about the scenery, the weather, and how it was nothing of the same as Heidelberg. Heidelberg seemed a million miles away. In literal terms, it was around a thousand miles away, but you get the point.

We went to a boardwalk after lunch for some other, more recreational times. There was an amusement park, and all of us were thrill seekers… with the exclusion of Rachel and mom.

Yes, that's right. Me, Brian, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Regaldi, and Zach, all LOVE rollercoasters, except Rachel and mom. Brian once convinced Rachel onto a coaster once, and it wasn't a very extreme one. She still hollered her head off and nearly threw up after the ride.

This park had a launching coaster that did a figure-eight-loop, as well as several inversions and several other cool stunts, and yet only lasted a minute. However, the hour long wait DEFINITELY compensates. It only started to occur to me at the end of the cueing line that the storm would be coming in only 8 hours… which was a lot shorter than is seemed. Of course, that thought was immediately diminished by a 70 mph launch and the rest of the ride.

It was loads of fun. Zach, Brian and I took turns riding front seat, while all the adults rode front in the next ride.

Eventually we split up into 3 groups, as we all wanted to explore different rides. Brian and Rachel got their own, the adults had their group, and then it was me and Zach. I was like a third brother to Zach, and just as close as Brian was to him. I was still a great friend to Brian considering my sister is his girlfriend… So I've gotten to know him inside-out.

We were going to go to a ride called a Gravitron. It was a ride that revolved extremely fast, and relies purely on centrifugal force to keep you pinned to the walls as you spin around extremely fast. It was a popular attraction at the park. As we waited in line, I started thinking some more.

"Hey Zach… You've really changed in the last four months. In several ways," I told him.

"I know how much I've changed, but I don't know how much I haven't. All I know is that I'm here to relax and enjoy these rides," he said with a smile. I nodded. That was interesting… He knows what he is, but he doesn't know what he isn't. I know its pointing out the obvious, but that made me realize things. We are always afraid of the known, but we fear the unknown because it's unknown.

After a few minutes the cue was up, and we were in. All the people took up the slots that were occupied, and Zach and I were placed near each other. Soon enough, the alarm sounded and the room started spinning slowly. It started to pick up, and soon it was spinning extremely fast. Then the floor started to lower and we were still in our spot! That was what was so cool about this ride.

Though something started to seem wrong. It was supposed to do this for 30 seconds, but soon it had lasted 40. The force was starting to hurt. We started to hear screaming, inside and out. Zach had blacked out. My head was starting to hurt. I had to do something. In my last efforts, I saw the rotor spinning the room. I gathered all my strength, and focused a flamethrower right at the rotor. It broke, and the room stopped spinning. Everyone fell on the ground, and they were all hurt. Zach had suffered worse.

He wasn't moving, and his eyes were motionless.

"Zach! Wake up!" I yelled. I grabbed him and brought him to the nearest source of water. There was a fishing pool, and I threw him in the water. He quickly came back to his senses.

"AGH! WHAT THE… Who… is there?" he asked.

"You blacked out. I think someone tried to take a stab at you on the gravitron," I told him.

"Argh… Well I'm going to give that person what for," he said. He looked up, and saw something. "Stay here."

"No! I'm going to come with you! It's too dangerous for you alone," I told him. He looked at me oddly, but then realized that I was strong.

"Okay. Just be careful, and run if he pulls out a weapon," Zach commanded. I nodded. I had always heard him tell these stories, but I never thought I would have to experience one myself. It exhausting, mentally and physically. My thoughts were whirling around in my head as my muscles ached from the tension of the centrifugal force. He ran off and I stumbled to keep up with him.

I soon caught up and I saw his target. A Zoroark rushing through the crowd of people, heading somewhere. By the look of it, onto the beach. We had been stamped in case we needed to leave, so we could always get back in. I saw him rush out the gate, and onto the boardwalk. I quickly glanced out at the ocean. It was probably overlooked by everyone, but a darkening at small points on the horizon were visible. The storm…

We ran out the gates in hot pursuit. He was dressed in athletic clothes while we were in our bathing suits, though I was wearing a casual shirt. Zach had his swim outfit on still. We dashed onto the beach barefoot. The sand was hot, but the intensity of the situation was hotter. We kept in hot pursuit. At one point Zach launched a night slash at him when there weren't many people around that could be hurt. I also launched a flamethrower.

"This isn't working. He can out run us. I'm going to have to catch up," Zach said. Catch up?

"What do you mean catch up?" I asked. All of a sudden his eyes changed color. His regularly green eyes became a fierce red, and he dashed like the wind. His legs moved faster than my eyes could comprehend. He caught up within seconds to the Zoroark. He tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. We caught the attention of an Ampharos lifeguard.

"What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of using attacks here?" he asked.

"This man assaulted me as well as several others. What can you do?" I asked.

"Well, I could take him into the local police station, but that's about it," the lifeguard answered. The Zoroark knew he was caught and defeated. The Ampharos took him away somewhere on the boardwalk as another lifeguard came in.

Zach immediately fell down on the beach. He was exhausted. I had my cell phone with me, and I knew Brian should have his cell too. I dialed his number and soon he picked up. "Brian, it's John."

"Hi. There a problem?" he asked.

"Yes… A Zoroark jammed the controls of the Gravitron and it went on too long. Zach passed out, but we gave him what was coming to him," I told him.

"Oh god… Not again. Where are you?" he asked.

"Out on the beach a bit far from the park now. We'll come to you, but Zach is more tired than I've seen him before. Even after his runs. I'll carry him to you," I told Brian.

"Okay… Quick. I think the storm is coming," Brian worriedly replied. I nodded and hung up. Zach was looking out at sea.

"The dark spots out at sea… That's the storm," Zach said.

"Yeah… I'm getting scared. This place is going to be demolished in time being. You're sure that you'll meet Raikou?" I asked him.

"Positive. Everything makes sense. There's no thing as a coincidence in this case," Zach reassured.

"Okay," I nervously replied. This storm was scaring me. I may have brushed it off earlier, but now… It's going to wreak havoc. I just have to trust him on this one.

…

"We have numerous reports of tempests on water funnels off less than a mile of Turqueq Beach. Every ship in the area has been drowned or flipped over. Rescue boats are having trouble just approaching the area. Sounds worse than a hurricane," said one of the reporters.

"This is insane. This storm literally appeared out of nowhere. There were no air distortions, pressure changes, and any other signs that a storm this catastrophic would appear," the Anchor replied. The entire news team was frantic, even though they were all the way in Terra City. They had been checking in on Hontia when they received frightening news of a horrible storm that was going to run straight into Hontia. They alerted the government, as well as the Red Cross and other communities that would provide for the needy.

The room was tense with frantic reporters and two anchors trying to keep everything under control.

"We need to order an immediate evacuation off the coast of Hontia. Five miles at the least away from the coastline. Flood warnings and tornado warnings are effective immediately. Get everyone out of Hontia as fast as possible," the Manager demanded.

"We're going live in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ACTION!" the camera man yelled.

"We interrupt this program to bring you vital and urgent news to the residents of Hontia, and any towns within 4 miles of Hontia. A massive gale is coming through the beach and will destroy almost all of it. You are to evacuate at least five miles in land for fear of floods. Tornado warnings are effective for any area within the storm. Once again, evacuate Hontia immediately. Go five miles inland as well as flood warnings and tornado warnings for the area of effect for the storm. Evacuate immediately!" the reporter repeated.

"That was relayed across every screen in Hontia and nearby. Good work. Now we just have to let nature take its toll," the Manager applauded.

…

The warning had been so noticeable. The darkness that had been hard to see now covered half the sky. It was now 6:20 P.M., and we were dining outside. It hadn't started raining yet, but soon we would be having vertical rain that will be more like a shower that knows no limit. The Johnson's had followed the weatherman's instructions, and took John and Rachel with them out of the city. They were frightened out of their minds, and only left us a message on my mom's cell phone as they left. At least it was justified fright; with a storm this powerful you have good reason to be scared out of your mind.

I could already see the lightning bolts out at sea. The entire town was now deserted. Since this restaurant would most likely be destroyed, we decided to get some food from it before the storm would come. I had managed to locate a safe house in our hotel, and mom and dad and Brian would be there while I go to meet Raikou…

"Well… Look out there. That storm will come through and wipe out anything in its path. It'll start to affect here in a few hours," I told them.

"When will the ultra-lightning bolt strike?" Brian asked.

"At around 10:30. I…" I started but couldn't finish. I knew how bad this was, and the concern was on everyone's faces. This storm was the most powerful known. Going out there in the heart of the storm was insane. You could have deemed crazy. Vic was still trying to stop me, but it was the only chance that this town would have a chance to rebuild. If I didn't get Raikou to call the storm off, Hontia would be obliterated, and all its culture would go down the drain with it.

It was also the only chance in that I could possibly save the bell. It was essentially the symbol of our nation, in that it's on our flag. The Peace bell was the pride of our country.

"Zach… You're sure about all this, right?" Brian asked.

"No," I admitted.

"Good," he replied. Everyone gave him a weird stare. "Have you ever noticed something? Most of the time when you go into something expecting what's going to happen it mostly turns out bad. Yet with all these recent events, you had no idea what was coming next, yet you survived!" I saw his point.

"True… You're sure you don't want us to come with you?" dad asked.

"I'm very sure. Well… Actually…" I started. I reconsidered things.

"Please! Don't!" mom blurted out.

"What?" I asked.

"Zach… You can go. You seem confident enough. But Max! Please don't go out there!" mom pleaded.

"Megan what is this all about? You're not coming with me at all. It's too dangerous," dad replied.

"Exactly; I want Brian to stay back too. It's so dangerous out there… I couldn't think of anything happening to all of you. Including Zach," mom replied. Soon the three of them started counter arguing with each other. It lasted a few minutes.

"Just stop this! You're staying in that bunker and that's that!" I yelled, louder than the entire area was. "Mom's right. Dad, Brian, Mom. I couldn't think of anything happening to you. I'd be devastated. You'd be devastated if something happened to me too. But if all of us get hurt, then it will be worse. It'd be best if just I went," I pronounced. There was a silence. I had settled the argument. Dad decided to break the silence.

"Zach… You're still sure about doing this right? Nothing will change your mind?" dad asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Well… This may sound nuts but just be careful Zach. At this point, anything can happen," my dad told me. I heeded his advice, and we finished up and drove to the hotel. We were taking all our items and bringing it into the bunker with us. There was another family in the neighboring bunker.

For the next three hours I stuck around with my family. We just laid on the couch. Mom was next to me, rubbing my head while I was sleeping. The speed sprint had exhausted me, and I needed to regain my energy desperately for the incoming chaos. Brian was nervously tapping his foot, while dad sat sleeping in the corner. When I heard the first major lightning bolt strike, I knew then it was time that I had to set out. It was half a mile to Peace road, which was a quarter of a mile uphill to the Peace bell. The upward hike would be the hardest part of this entire journey.

I hugged my mom, and hugged my brother, and woke up my dad by hugging him, and then left the bunker to do what had to be done.

…

_It's funny just what people do. We often act before we think. It's instinctive._

_A famous test was conducted by an experimenter using Herdiers. He was going to prove that every living thing was more instinctive than cautious. He would feed these Herdiers, and ring a bell every time he would feed them. They would drool due to the need to feed._

_After conducting the same test several times, he rang a bell yet did not feed them. Regardless, the dogs still drooled. This was a highly accepted experiment, confirming everyone's beliefs that living things would act before thinking. Even sentient creatures have the same flaw as wild ones._

_Another important philosophical experiment conducted was using five children that were aged differently. They were aged 8 months, 3 years, 7 years, 14 years, and 18 years. There were also 5 adults involved, aged 23 years, 38 years, 49 years, 60 years, and 80 years old. In each test they put them into a completely unknown, separate environment that was the same every time. All they needed to do was find the food, and there were several different sources. The crucial part about this is that the child that was eight months old had the easiest time getting food, while the 80 year also had the easiest time. In contrary, the 14 year old – 38 year old people had the hardest time getting food. It proves two things. One, age doesn't matter to determine the will and instinct to get what you most desire. Two, age is not a determining factor in most situations, but when it is, look where you would not look to find the best results._

_Think how this applies to where Zach is Right now._

…

I walked out and felt the heavy rain unload upon me like a faucet. I looked up shielding my eyes from the rain, and saw the entire black sky. Cracks of thunder rocked the land scape. The wind had not come yet, but when it would, the entire city would be forced underwater. I had a vague idea of the landscape, and knew one thing that I had to do; get on top of a building. I needed to take the lightning rod from it, for safety that a bolt might strike me. I had brought rubber gloves so that electricity cannot go through the rod and into me.

I went to the apartment building across the street. I went up it and saw several rooms, with swinging, blinking lights. It was something out of a movie just before something horrible happened.

I traversed the staircase until I was on the roof top. I saw the large intricate metal placed above, and yanked it out of its position. Just before I went back to the stairs, I saw a funnel form very far in the distance. The first tornado had landed. It must be wreaking havoc already.

I sprinted down the staircase and held the wire above my head. I walked slowly. I had already taken considerable time; it was 10:03. I didn't have much time before Raikou would appear.

I started picking up the pace as I slowly walked through town. The rain started to pick up, and soon the wind came in. I heard waves start to crash in on the other side of town. Even from a few miles away I could hear these waves… that must mean the town had already started flooding. I wouldn't have much time until the hotel would go down in water too. I frantically started running, ignoring the several amounts of lightning bolts that were striking down around me.

Good thing I had taken that rod. All of a sudden, a jolt of lightning comes out of thin air and hits the lightning rod. I was thrown on the ground from the sheer power that the bolt had done. I was winded, and the wind had started becoming crazy now. Small items were starting to get thrown into the air. It was 10:12 now. I started running. The Peace path wasn't far away.

2 minutes later I made it, nearly being pelted by a postal box. Vic gave me two bricks to keep me grounded so that I wouldn't get swept up by the wind. Though as I started my trek up the hill, I became worried that the bricks wouldn't be enough. The wind had gone from a breeze to that of nearing a tornado. I saw items being lifted into the air with ease, flying around with such grace. It was frightening, yet somehow I stayed grounded. At 10:18, I finally reached the Peace bell after what had seemed to be an eternity. I dug my hands into the ground and formed a massive lump of soil. It was as tall as me and so long that my arms hurt from stretching it out.

I stood there at the liberty bell for at least 5 minutes with my arms sore, and my face starting to hurt from all the water. Water had never hurt so bad. I managed to stay grounded due to the girth of the soil lump I was holding, watching lightning and three more tornadoes that had formed wreck the landscape.

I felt like my arms were about to give way, just as I saw a funnel in the clouds forming. It formed a spiral… This had to be it. No doubt about it. I used the rest of my strength to hold up the mound, and then, as if a judgment from Arceus himself, the enormous lightning bolt hit the mound. It was just large enough for it to conatin the bolt. Soon enough I heard something.

"This isn't the landing ground I requested," said an extremely low voice. All of a sudden, the entire storm halted. The rain, the wind, tornadoes, lightning, and everything else. I threw the rock down. I took a gasp of breath, regaining what oxygen I needed. Raikou jumped off, and saw me.

"A red Gallade? What are you doing here son? Don't you know how dangerous it is in my storm?" Raikou asked. Vic was wrong. He did know things about this society, otherwise he wouldn't have noticed the clothes I was wearing had been so different.

"I'm… here to *gasp*… learn from you," I painfully said.

"Calm down. Catch your breath and then talk," he replied. He was very respectful actually. Not very much like Moltres. He waited a minute for me to stop panting, and I could finally talk now.

"I came to learn from you. I've learned from other great beasts," I told him.

"Really now? Even for a red Gallade that's preposterous. There's no way someone like you could have gone and-" he said, just as he was about to eat his words. Vic appeared right beside me.

"Victini! What are you here for?" Raikou asked, very surprised.

"That's because I blessed him. He's telling the truth. He learned Flame Fury from Moltres," Vic explained. Raikou took a good luck at me.

"By Arceus's name you're right! I didn't take good enough of a look at him… Well, you wanted to learn didn't you?" Raikou asked.

"Yes sir," I answered.

"Good. I will teach you Voltage Outburst," he said. "Close your eyes and let your inner aura take control." I closed my eyes, and my pike started to feel different. It was glowing yellow. Soon I had come into another alternate dimension. I was floating in midair, and I saw Raikou.

"Count to eight," he commanded. I did so, and the entire room became an eerie yellow. He roared and turned me around. He brought me to his face, and the roared into my V seal. Soon enough, the entire experience was over.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Electrified," I told him. I felt enormously energetic.

"Discharge your energy by taking it from your spike," he commanded. I channeled energy like I did with Flame Fury, except this time my spike glowed yellow rather than red. "Release the power!" he commanded. I let go of the power and the entire area around me became enshrouded in electricity. Raikou absorbed it all though, but I saw. It was insane, just like Flame Fury.

"Fantastic! I can't remember the last time I had done this," Raikou exclaimed.

"Thank you very much. This is an immeasurable honor," I told him.

"It is an even greater honor to meet someone like you, and meet with Victini again," Raikou replied. With that, he roared, and all of a sudden, the clouds disappeared entirely, revealing a clear blue moon sky. With that, I laid down on the wet grass, and just relaxed.

"Well now what?" Vic asked. I didn't know the answer to that question.

"Well, I have an idea. Everyone has helped me so much in this journey, especially my parents. I'd like to do something for them instead," I told him.

"That's a very responsible thing. What do you have in mind?" Vic asked.

"You'd think its crazier than this," I told Vic.

"Are you kidding me? This was unheard of! A fourteen year old child going through a storm of this measure and then braving a bolt of lightning, and the strongest lightning bolt ever? It's crazy!" Vic exclaimed.

"I guess you have a point… But you remember the entire story of my dad right?" I asked him.

"Yes. Why do you mention that?" he asked back.

"Well… Dad's friends, Skit, Fray, Crow, and Oscio were incredibly strong. However, they were ambushed and imprisoned. Where I'm going with this, is I want to break into the highest security prison in the Avengers, that was built just to keep them controlled, and break them out of there," I answered. There was silence.

"You know, I think I was wrong," Vic replied.

…

Hee hee! Well I have the next chapter set up already. Though I really need a break before I go on with it, since I am wiped from doing this chapter. I'll be getting braces soon, which is a big downer. It's going to get in the way of typing for sure.

I've decided to give myself a week off of typing since I want to spend time video gaming and doing other things. That includes trying to get drawing, as I want to expand my ways to tell my stories, although writing is the fastest and most time-efficient hands down.

I also released a new story that I originally wanted to start drawing, but I ran into technical difficulties, as well as my mind getting stale on writing the rest of this chapter (hence it taking much longer than it should have).

As I mentioned before, this is the penultimate climax to the first half of Freshman. After that, the story concept will still be here, but other problems will dominate instead. It's also going to turn into more of a dramatic story too.

Obviously I'm going to start incorporating romance in this, if you haven't figured out from the entire scene with Alexis and the previous chapter with the mention of lemons too.

After the next chapter I'm going to start my new TF2 story, which will end my writing spree. I'm looking very forward to this story, and I am eager to write it. Chapters will switch back and forth while writing these stories, with my new story as a mold breaker. However, the TF2 story will only be 5,000 words long per chapter, rather than these 10,000 word chapters.

I have nothing else to explain, so that is all for this chapter.

I would be overjoyed if you left a review as long as it is positive. If you have negative feedback, translate it into constructive criticism. If you like this story, and would like to find out when it updates easier, just add it to your alert list or favorites list. I will have the next chapter out when I can, and when I feel like it. Please be patient for your own enjoyment.

~DTH~


	10. Chapter 10, Getting Even

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokémon Fanfiction. Chapter 10, Getting Even

Author's Note: It's obvious what the point of this chapter will be. That said, this chapter was very hard to do since I had to drag out the main fight scene, and the rest of the words did not come easy. I slapped on some extra meat for the end in order to fulfill the 10,000 word requirement…

That said, this is going to be it for a while. I have braces by now so I'll be a bit more challenged with writing, not to mention having a completely new TF2 story to work on. Even after this I'm giving myself a break (change of plans, I won't be taking a break), and after that break I nail down 3 chapters in a row for my TF2 story, and _then _I'll take a break after that!

After that I'll finally work on chapter 11 for this, which brings in the new story of the second half of Zach's years.

With that in mind, it's reading time for this climax to the first half of the year, although last chapter was the majority of it. Anyways, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to pokemon or any other famous works of art mentioned in this chapter, as there are 3.**

…

"_Baby, we have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here."_

_Excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My cry._

…

(I read this book a while ago, and this one sentence reoccurred too much so I borrowed the book from the old piles that I had, and found this passage after a while of quick skimming.)

…

I sat there gazing at the stars. I was silent, just admiring the beauty. I found the big dipper, great bear, little bear, and many other constellations. I laid there in the brisk plains as a small breeze caressed my body carefully, cooling it like the rain on a hot summer day.

I looked around and found Polaris, and knew which way was north. I stood up and looked out in that direction. Another figure stood there, quite like mine. We ran towards each other, quickly without any care about which stars were brighter or what color the sky was. Our arms were outstretched, about to take each other in.

"… Huh? AGH! WHAT OH HOAH KEE!" I screeched as I woke up from the bed I was laying in. It was the hotel bed, although pottery was knocked over and the sheets were wet, as well as there being paintings on the ground without a TV. The sun glinted on the horizon, dawning the new day.

This was the weirdest nightmare I've had. It wasn't like the old ones where it was emotionally scaring, but it frightened me, just because of its content.

"Zach what is it? You woke me up," Vic irritably replied.

"Sorry Vic… Nightmares again," I told him.

"Doesn't seem like a nightmare," he said, suspicious.

"Why do you say that?" I asked him.

"Well first off your blood is regular. In fact it's quite slow, and you've been having health ratings of good sleep. There's no sweat on the bed too," Vic pointed out.

"Well I didn't like it. It certainly scared the living daylights out of me," I replied.

"Are you sure it was a nightmare?" he persisted.

"It wasn't nightmarish, but it gave me the same unpleasant feeling after waking up due to what it was about," I said.

"And it was about?" he asked. I sighed.

"It was unusual. It was a hill nearby the peace bell. I was looking up at the stars for some reason, and I turned to see someone. The person loved me, but I don't why know I loved her. We ran to embrace each other, and I couldn't see who she was. I woke up just before we touched… Why I don't like it is because I was in love. I don't want love," I complained.

"I see… It's logical, but you have to live with it Zach. Love is programmed into everything's DNA. Even mine, if it weren't for my unfortunate luck that there are hardly any other Victini's. Face it, one day you'll meet someone and she will be the right person for you," Vic preached.

"I doubt that… I really do… But what about you?" I asked. I felt some emotional pain from Vic.

"I'll… Never be like any of you. It's just what I was destined to be," Vic said. That made me think…

…

"We're all destined for something in something. Whether its jobs, social life, politics, fame, or love, there's always a destiny for someone in something. That destiny could be everything, or it could be nothing. It could be the best outcome or the worst.

Everyone has a different destiny though. Some people are created just like others; same beliefs, interests, hobbies, and most everything else. Others? They are outliers, stand outs, and anything else used to describe someone who doesn't belong. Those people are the ones who shape the world. They were willing to focus all there time to one subject, and benefit that field of research so greatly that they forever would be immortalized in the memories of their colleagues. Their peers looked up to them, and respected them, and sometimes idolized them.

It's what everyone does leading up to their destiny that counts the most."

Famous excerpt from a preacher.

…

Dad had ordered Brian and mom to be sent home with the Johnson's. Me and dad were going alone to the jail. Today I was formulating a plan, and it seemed to work more and more due to how sure fire it would be.

Though my emotions seemed to be running all over the place ever since that dream. I feel incapable of love due to my life… I'm scared that I may have to love without any choice. I'm anxious to know if I love who my lover would be. It was starting to hurt my head and I asked dad if we could have one more day in Hontia. He agreed, and I was extremely relieved.

Today was a relaxation day. With all the chaos we both needed some time off. Dad had actually wanted me to come with him to Terra City because he had agreed to help out in Hontia. I was his son, so I couldn't reject, knowing after all he had been through.

Besides, I know how important friends are. Just look how important John, Kyle, Jake, John M. and everyone else are? Well… excluding Alexis I guess. She's a bit worthless.

So to recap there was Skit the Sceptile, Fray the Charizard, Crow the Lucario, and Oscio the… Samurott. I had no idea what one was, or how it looked like. That said, this was a disorganized plan yet very sure fire.

Dad was managing the tickets and everything while I slept most of the day before we left. Vic helped make sure I wouldn't get any nightmares. The old count to 8 trick. Why 8 though? Not any other number? It would just have to stay as another unsolved mystery.

I took a stroll on the beach at one point. Debris was scattered and all the sand was uneven from the pounding waves that had attacked it during the storm. The waves were calm, and only made slight splashes as they ran across the sand. At this point the sun was high in the sky shining proudly while the cold added an unusual touch that I liked. It must be snowing right now in Heidelberg… I would have to miss out.

Hontia, due to its tropical climate, never gets snow. Its flat, swampy land compliments the lush plant life that is here. It attracts many people so they can warm up, yet it gets somewhat cold here during the winter time. Most people don't realize that.

I was feeling homesick while on the beach. With all the chaos, I just wanted to be home sledding with John or Kyle or anyone else… Not having to worry about prison break ins or the government or all this storm crap. I laid down on the grass and gazed out at sea. I got tired so I fell asleep, and woke up to a purple-gold sky with the omelet split half way by the water and the sky. It was a majestic sight, and I couldn't tire of its beauty.

Vic hadn't talked to me the entire day, and I couldn't understand why. He seemed more isolated than usual, and I think something had clicked inside of him. What was his past anyways? I wish I could go into his mind…

…

(Oh come on, you saw it coming with that last sentence didn't you?)

…

POVS

…

I was meditating when I heard Moltres call. I morosely teleported to his chamber.

"Victini… You seem much more depressed than usual," Moltres boomed.

"Yeah… I guess you could say that," I groaned.

"Please Victini, I want to know the issue," Moltres demanded.

"Okay… Zach… has been a handful recently. With all the Hontia calamities and now with this prison break in… Though Zach changed in these last few days, and it's making me realize something," I replied.

"What vexes you within his emotions?" Moltres asked. He has an unusual vocabulary.

"He's not what he should have for emotions, even for someone who's gone through what he's gone through. I mean, with how open and kind this Gardevoir named Alexis is to him, he still hates her thoroughly," I answered.

"This Alexis… What is so abnormal about her and why does Zach try to dissociate himself with her?" Moltres asked. He puts things in such a hard way that it takes me a bit to understand… Though he is several thousands of years older than me, so he has reason.

"Well… Not sure exactly. His mind is to disorganized, and it's hard to read his thoughts. He has a central line of thought, I'm sure of it, but there's so many bubbles clouding it up that I can't read it," I told Moltres.

"Then what of this Alexis girl?" Moltres asked.

"Her? I have read her mind… She's complex but straight forward. As a bit of a drama queen, she has a bit of an ego. However she's very compassionate and caring towards others, and overall is the person you'd like to have as a friend… But she acts different towards Zach," I answered.

"Sounds like she's swooned to his suave nature," Moltres replied. Seriously now… Why does he have to be so literate?

"Maybe. She has some self-complexes that aggravate her deep down, and truly mixes herself up. She's indecisive and will reconsider something several times before coming to a decision," I corrected. Moltres realized that he was wrong.

"They're antonyms to one another. While Alexis is precarious, Zach makes conclusions in miniscules of seconds," Moltres replied. He understood the issue, but his vocabulary makes my head spin.

"Yeah whatever… But remember Arceus's saying? Opposites attract as well as look-a-likes," I said.

"You think coupling them would be natural?" Moltres questioned.

"I don't know. It seems like it although Zach would never agree to try and establish a relationship with her after what she did," I assured him. "Just look at his brother. They have professions in such varying concepts and yet they're closer to each other than their parents."

"That is plausible, but John Johnson his surrogate if need be," Moltres replied. Arceus, why did you have to give him such complicated vocabulary?

"I guess you're right. I just want to leave him alone for now and do whatever he does," I responded.

"You know, I don't think he comprehends that applying those superb abilities actually phases him out a lot,"Moltres replied. I'm not even going to bother any more.

"He might figure it out because he is always getting tired after he uses it, with the exception of the first time he uses that ability… I do worry about him," I said. Moltres saw something.

"Look Victor; just because your species is completely extinct does not change who you are. You're still the father of the family that you had. Just because they are gone does not change you are," Moltres comforted. He realized that I'm having trouble keeping up with his words. He often didn't refer to me by my actual name.

"I know… I just miss Vanessa and Veronica… I miss them so much," I moaned.

…

I had started to worry more about Vic. He was much more solitary, and even if I could view him he seemed depressed, not wanting to do much. Finally, I decided to try and talk to him.

"Vic… You seem down lately. Is there anything I can help with?" I asked.

"Go help yourself," he pouted. He was mad actually, and I could tell it from his tone and lack of effort trying to communicate with me.

"What's the matter?" I asked, trying to sympathize.

"It's YOU!" he yelled.

"Wha- how?" I asked.

"You're too needy and get yourself in so much! We share a symbiotic relationship, and we would both die without one another!" he yelled out. "Well… only I would without you."

"Vic… Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"Because I didn't want to scare you too much. Even though I'm this unnaturally powerful being I still had the life of one like you before… But then it all went wrong."

"Please explain."

"It happened a few hundred years ago. Your parents were warping through time. There were around 100 Victini's. We acted like regular people in our own society. We even had families with each other. I had my own. I had a lovely partner and a daughter… Though Ukuli had found out about us. We made pacts with very specific people and thrived due to them. Ukuli found out about this, and killed all of the people who had set up pacts. I didn't create one though, so I didn't die. My daughter and lover had though, and they died as well. I was left alone then. No one else like me at all. I met Moltres and moved to the sanctuary… And I lived there not being able to decide on a pact partner. Everyone was too reckless, not smart or strong enough to live long enough for me to make the best of my life. However, you showed up at the sanctuary. I was getting tired so I decided to accept you as the pact coordinator. So there you have it." The news was shocking to me. Vic was a father… And a bewildered one too. I felt sorry for him. He had also gone through quite a bit of pain.

"I know how you feel. I also feel too like an outcast at times due to my skin. I feel like it disconnects me from everyone else. I often wish I wasn't born with it."

"Well… I need some time to rest. You should too considering the time. You have got a hell of a day coming up for you tomorrow. Hope you're ready." I tried to get rest after that.

Even Vic could find love…

…

This morning I woke up to a radio playing. Dad was getting the preparations ready for the trip. We knew the entire layout of the plan, and we were sure it was fail proof. Well, until we were in the prison. The song on the radio was "Moves Like Jagger". It was a fun song, and it was one of my favorites. I listened closely as the whistling signified the start of the song.

"_Just shoot for the stars. If it feels right, and aim for my heart. If you feel like, and take me away, and make it okay, I swear I'll behave._

_You wanted control. So we waited, I put on a show. Now I make it, you say I'm a kid, my ego is big, I don't give a shit._

_*Whistling* And it goes like this!_

_Take me by the tongue and I'll know you. Kiss me til' you're drunk and I'll show you all the moves like jagger. I've got the moves like jagger. I've got the mo-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-oves like jagger._

_I don't need to try to control you, look into my eyes and I'll own you with them moves like jagger. I've got the moves like jagger. I've got the mo-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-oves like jagger._

_Maybe it's hard, when you feel like, you're broken and scarred. Nothing feels right, but when you're with me, I'll make you believe, that I've got the key._

_So get in the car. We can ride it, wherever you want. Get inside it, and you want to steer, but I'm shifting gears, I'll take it from here._

_*Whistles again* And it goes like this!_

_Take me by the tongue and I'll know you. Kiss me til' you're drunk and I'll show you all the moves like jagger. I've got the moves like jagger. I've got the mo-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-oves like jagger._

_I don't need to try to control you, look into my eyes and I'll own you with them moves like jagger. I've got the moves like jagger. I've got the mo-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-oves like jagger._

_*Singer Change* You wanna know how to make me smile, take control own me just for the night. And I share my secret, you're gonna have to keep it, nobody else can see this._

_So watch and learn; __I won't show you twice. Head to toe, oh baby rub me right. But if I share my secret, you're gonna have to keep it, nobody else can see this._

_And it goes like this!_

_Take me by the tongue and I'll know you. Kiss me til' you're drunk and I'll show you all the moves like jagger. I've got the moves like jagger. I've got the mo-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-oves like jagger._

_I don't need to try to control you, look into my eyes and I'll own you with them moves like jagger. I've got the moves like jagger. I've got the mo-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-oves like jagger."_

Even though the song is extremely catchy and fun to listen to, I did see something. It is a love melody over all, and it does have some deeper meaning to it. As I see it, it was almost as if they were young adults who had met and became infatuated with one another. It's a classical version of love. Yet it was so artificial that it made me laugh to myself.

Dad came into my room as I turned the radio off.

"Alright Zach. We have the tickets. It's only 10 minutes to the airport; you know what to do from there," dad relayed to me. I nodded, got my shoes and coat on, and went to the car.

The drive to the airport was completely silent. Dad's eyes were focused on the road. I focused on his driving, since I'll be able to drive soon.

If you didn't notice from my dad's story, my birthday is square on January 1st. In fact, I was born right the moment the new year came. Unlike human culture, bi-peds only needed to be 15 to drive, and everything else needed to be 16. There were different cars for different species, though they always functioned the way they should.

I'm excited about driving, because it will allow me to get together with my friends more. Sure I can always run there, but driving is faster and easier. Dad was also going to buy me a car. Since he still wanted to seem like the average joe, he only wanted average cars, so he was going to get me a small compact car with high mileage. I cared for the environment and so did he.

We sped across the highway. We were getting close now, and I could see planes taking off. I clutched onto my suitcase. It was loaded with whatever was necessary.

We walked into the airport. The noise of people clamoring to get their tickets or luggage set in was something I had become used to. Kids whined and pulled on their mother's and father's shirts, complaining to go. We were going to pick up a small breakfast meal before going out.

We browsed around and decided to get donuts. We were silent as we wolfed down 10 donuts in all, splitting them half and half. We were going to have to enjoy the best food we could have for the entire day.

We went through security and got to our terminal. Our plane was leaving in 20 minutes, so we just laid around and played some games on our iPods. Very normal. The plane flight would be half a day, just as it was getting here.

We boarded the plane at a good time. We were tired from getting up early, and were going to sleep the majority of the way there. We had purchased first class seats.

As we slept in luxury for the first 9 hours of the flight I had some time to think. Vic still wouldn't talk to me, but listening to Move Like Jagger this morning started to reoccur to me.

Love songs are media hits. I like them too, but only the ones that have pleasing lyrics… That means both catchy and reasonable. The radio that was playing on the plane had some love songs going too… I listened to them and it helped me relax. I have these nightmare issues so I guess it could also help get me some sleep in that category.

Another two hours passed by, and I knew what was coming. Dad nudged me slightly. I made sure the other passengers were asleep or not watching (which they were), and reached down into my bag. Dad did the same. We slowly pulled out two small daggers. They were specially made so that airport detectors could not pick them up.

We acted like we needed to go to the bathroom. We saw one of the guards looking at us. Perfect. I took my dagger and dropped it on the ground by accident. The guard saw it and rushed right up to us. We acted just like any person that was trying to do a crime; act innocent and make up lies. He kept interrogating us until he searched us down. He found both of our daggers and arrested us. Perfect. We were just landing in Terra City too. He kept us at the end of the plane for the rest of the time. We feigned demised faces and mourning groans to seem more legit.

The plane eventually landed and took us to the airport security center. We saw several cops at desks typing reports and a few forensic scientists were walking around. This was a high class security area. The guard told us to wait here while he assigned an appointment for us. Later the same guard made us meet with the chief of the outpost. He was a Scizor. Immediately spike acted up causing tremendous pain. I cringed and fell on the ground just before I walked in as I saw him. The pains of tucker were coming back. My head started spinning and I passed out.

When I woke up I was sitting in a jail cell. My dad was in it at the corner. My pain was burning extremely bad.

"Agh… Vic what happened?" I mentally asked him.

"You experienced severe trauma from seeing the chief of police who was a Scizor. It hurt your spike so much that you went unconscious. Dad talked with the chief of police for a bit. Don't know what exactly happened," Vic answered. I nodded. I think I'm going to have issues getting used to Scizors… I think I just reacted badly due to the bad situation and that he was a stranger. This wouldn't happen at school.

"Oh you're awake," dad commented.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"A temporary jail cell. We'll be moved to the Terra City jail," dad said, while winking. His back was to the camera. We were going to the special jail, and I had the papers mentally stored.

"Alright. I'm going to try to get some sleep," I told him.

"Good idea. It's going to get hectic from here," dad warned. We both fell asleep after that.

The next morning we were going to be transferred. The secret to all this though is that they will transfer us to the regular hospital without consent because there are so many crimes committed in Terra City on a daily basis that they can't keep track of everything. So they will print out one document for the driver and a few for the jail warden who is taking the prisoners. The prison that dad's friends are in is built for 10. There is still enough room for us since there are only 4 prisoners.

When we quickly get loaded, the officer puts us into the van while waiting for the driver to come. With the time, I see the document on the driver's seat. I manage to pick it up, and replace it with the document set to go to the secret prison that is several miles away. It will be two hours getting there.

We spent the entire lonely ride there silent. The funny thing is that they would never know that we got sent to the other prison due to the frantic job of being the Terra City police. It was quiet, excluding the hustle and bustle of cars everywhere.

After an hour and a half we finally got out of the city to see the flat plains of the rest of the outskirts of Terra City. This prison only is known to the police, and is hidden behind hills too. It looked like it was going to start raining, with many clouds overhead.

Eventually we were brought into the prison and saw several guards in watchtowers with high engineering items… which were guns. So the government started to manufacture guns for special cases. Something along the line seems to be foreshadowing an economic boom in gun industry… Though they didn't look like regular guns. They were much larger, and had scoping technology. They were interesting.

The van got access after three checks and we were brought in. All the prisoners had to be kept secret from each other so we could not coordinate. That meant dad and I would be separated.

There wasn't a chief to the prison; only a small staff of guards and over watchers.

These rooms were made of solid iron alloys that seemed incapable of breaking… Except maybe with a sledgehammer. I took one from my inventory. And waited until nothing was watching. These prisons were interesting. I took one and started smashing into the walls. Not a sound was heard as I managed to make it through with 8 hits.

The other space of the wall was all piping, so I followed the pipes until I found the air ducts. Oh where I can go with the air ducts. (Heh HL)

I squirmed around until I found dad's room. These grills were loud and noisy though, and it was hard to do anything when they were 10 feet above your head. However, when they're right below you, that's a different story.

I slowly cut away at the grill with a special knife that was meant to go through steel. Soon I removed the grill and lowered a rope into my dad's room. This mental storage is incredibly awesome.

He climbed up and we decided to get out of the vents. We now came into a general hallway. We heard footsteps so we backed into cover. I had the knife in hand with its unusually sharp edge ready. As soon as he came into close range I leapt from behind cover and muffled him. I tossed him into a cell and locked it. I didn't want very many casualties in this, thank you very much.

We continued down the corridor until we were at the staircase. The building was shaped like a right angle, with 6 floors. The first floor was general maintenance, second floor had wings X and Y, third has A and B, then G and H, then O and P, and lastly S and T. Each wing contained a prisoner, and they were never allowed to go into any other wings. We were in G and H. According to what we knew, S and T had Oscio and Skit, while O and P had Fray and Crow.

We snuck up the staircase and saw another guard. I tried to do the same thing, but he noticed me. The gun was silenced to disturb as little people as possible. He fired it off several times, though I dodged each shot. While reloading I charge up to him and tackled him into a closet, and dad made sure it wouldn't open up with some handy work. I started searching around for anyone but no one was here. The cell was empty, and hadn't to be used ever. I decided to continue on. No guards were here now, though I was worried someone had heard the silenced shot.

This building is massive, so navigating it takes a long time. We went into the next wing but still no one there. Things were starting to become too eerie and too fast.

As we climbed up the next set another guard was there. However, it was too late.

He saw us come out and sounded the alarm. Now there was trouble…

We ducked for cover as soon as he started shooting off rounds from his pistol. These were unsilenced, and cause people to realize where we were. I could only imagine several guards rushing up the stair case now.

We took off running in the other direction, and kept running as the whirr of bullets whipped the air so hard to throw it out of line. What confused me is why the lower floors had silenced guns while these weren't. It was illogical.

We ran until we saw another squadron of guards come out of the staircase.

"Shit! Split up!" I yelled. We dived into different corridors in the wing. I dived into a small dining room. I got under cover as three different guards poured. I waited at the right time, then sprang up from my cover, and grabbed one of the guards guns. Some blood was going to be shed. I punched him away once I had it, and shot the other guards in the legs twice. They were on their knees as I threw the gun away. The remaining guard got up with a knife and tried to attack me. I blocked the attack and tossed the knife away. We did some fighting until I got him in a locked position, where I used hypnosis. He quickly fell asleep on the floor.

Dad had done his fair share and the guards were cleared.

"Are you okay dad?" I asked.

"I'm fine. I'm going on the roof. I have the feeling we made some errors. This may not be good. Stay here and make sure no one decides to try and visit me while I'm busy," dad warned.

"But dad-" I tried to retaliate. I didn't want him all alone.

"Zach… Remember who went through just as much as you have," dad said. I saw the parent's trust in his eyes. He wanted less to happen to me than he wanted to him. I'm finally understanding him after he explained his background. I nodded. And stood guard.

I had a grim feeling that something was wrong. Nothing added up; the unusual placement of silenced guns, no prisoners, why the blueprints were set to house them on top and not on the bottom… Just what was with this prison anyways?

…

This prison was designed by geniuses. They made it more logical that the prisoners would be housed up high so that it would be harder for enemies to infiltrate, since they have top quality watch towers as well as heat-seeking missiles. Although they had not acquired the gun until the wreckage of the helicopter, they had seized bomb blueprints and made them into rockets that could track down a target and destroy it with ease.

However, to fool any perpetrator, the prisoners weren't even supposed to be housed in the building. They were actually housed on the roof, where they lived in quite lavish conditions for that of a prisoner. They were still forbidden to come into contact with each other, and still kept separate. They were served three daily meals in their cells, and were not allowed to leave at all. The walls were sound proof too, so that there was less chance of relaying messages.

They also had prototype designs that not even the legion could think of; type restricting braces. They were too hard to be broken by force, and it altered the bodily functions so that any abilities or moves would not be usable. It replaces the need for harder prison walls.

Knowing this it seemed like all the problems were settled. Seemed like.

…

As I waited I could only imagine what hell occurred. Occasionally some guards came up, and I handled each one, but they were noticeably getting harder. After 4 waves I had been scraped by a dagger. I decided it was too dangerous and fled to the roof where dad was. It was now pouring rain. The roof was oddly larger than the complex, forming a triangle. I looked around and saw several different paths. I saw a single watch tower, and several loud noises from attacks. Who was dad fighting? As I looked around I started to notice different sectors of paths… Yet there were only 3.

I traveled down each one seeing that they were divided into three parts. A bathroom, cell, and diner. However, the gate was locked, so I decided to smash it open. It was harder than I thought, so I brought back the sledge hammer and bashed away at it. It took a bit, but I eventually took down the gate. I wanted to save my attacks for when I would need them. As I looked around, I kept a low profile. When I came up to the cell, I heard snoring.

I peeked in through the very small amounts of scattered glass panes. I saw large orange wings. This must be Crow. I decided that I wasn't going to free him yet. I would leave him be until I know we can get out of here.

I looked into the other wings and saw Skit and Fray. Both were sleeping as well. I was surprised the guns hadn't awoken them. These really are soundproof cellars.

The only question was where was Oscio? My mind was interrupted as a large amount of water fell on my head. I moved out of the way to see that there were plumes of water coming from the top of the guard tower…

I figured it out… This wasn't good. Dad was fighting Oscio; he probably doesn't stand a chance. I heard a triumphant roar from the top of the tower, which meant dad lost. I took off running up the tower until I got up to the top. There he stood, a massive blue samurai tyrant of pure power.

"You are not Max Regaldi! He would have done well in a fight against me you demented lunatic!" he yelled. His voice was as powerful as the thunder.

"Step away from my dad," I coldly said. Oscio turned around.

"Zach… no… get out of here," dad warned.

"So his son is as foolish," Oscio tormented.

"Oscio… If I can't convince you… if Zach beats you that should prove that I am Max Regaldi. The son is as strong or stronger than his father," dad recited.

"So it be. But by the looks of a fourteen year-old Gallade I don't think he has any chance," Oscio boomed. Without warning, he spewed a hydro pump so fast that I would have never expected it. It threw me onto one of the ramparts of the tower, and I was dazed by it. The next thing I know, he smashes onto me using body slam.

"I think my work is done here," he gloated. He had done a number on me in a few seconds… but I wasn't dead yet.

"No you're not," I said standing back up. I took a fighting pose.

"So you're asking for more?" he asked.

"Bring it bastard," I yelled. He charged straight at me. I launched a dual night slash and psycho-cut at him, then quickly jumping out of the way. He roared and launched several hydro pumps at me. I used thunder punch on one of them, transmitting the electricity straight to him. He yelled in agony, but quickly regained his sense.

He roared and a lightning bolt came down and missed me by inches. I recoiled into another bolt which started to hurt quite badly. I got up and dodged him quickly and followed up with a thunder punch mixed with a mach punch. He braced the attack, and countered with an aqua tail. He's better than anyone I've ever met.

He attacked again, and I used fake-out. He blinked quickly and didn't know what happened, which gave me a chance to combine ice and thunder punch for extreme strength. When I hit him from behind, he roared out in pain.

"RRG! YOU'RE GOOD BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" he shouted. He caused water come out from around him. He charged at me so fast that I didn't even have time to react. I was forced against a wall but he didn't stop there. He launched me into the year, hit me with a hydro pump launching me even higher. Before I could react, he hit me directly with a thunder.

I fell to the ground, with almost no sensation in my body except the extreme electrocution.

"Zach… no…" I heard dad moan.

"Just because he has red skin doesn't make him a warrior. He was good though. Better than you in fact. Though I am the strongest there is. Nothing can best me, no matter what comes my way," he gloated. Dad weeped. "AND YOU!" Dad looked up.

"You worthless scum! You are ashamed to even try yourself Max Regaldi! He would never make a good parent! He was too a-swooned over that bloody Gardevoir Megan! I never liked him, so why would I reach out to you? You are so pathetic it makes me laugh! Your son is just as bad too! I can't believe both of you thought about standing up to me!" he boasted. My rage was building so hard that I could ignore the pain that was flaring in my spike. I didn't care anymore. When he goes so far to humiliate my dad and me, that's when I say enough is enough. I'll probably pass out, but I want to show him just how much of an asshole he is being. He noticed me standing up.

"How on earth could you even be standing? Oh well, just back for more I guess. How do you want me to take you out this time?" he asked. He was so cocky he was giving me the first chance. I remained silent. Dad saw my eyes glow bright yellow for a second.

"Zach… what are you…?" he asked. He immediately became silent, knowing I was going to do something crazy.

"Are you listening to me?" he yelled. I started conducting the electricity coursing through my body, and that in the clouds. He got angry and casted thunder at me. It didn't do anything to help. In fact, it aided the power. The power was at max, and he stood there dumbfounded. He started to worry, and just then I cupped my hands. The lightning stood there in a ball. I aimed it precisely at him. He stared at me in fear. I brought my hands apart, and the electricity released, electrocuting him with the force of more than anything you could ever imagine. He was immediately knocked out, not knowing what had hit him. Immediately afterwards, I passed out.

…

POVS

…

I laid there silent, like every night. The rain was too soft to hear, yet it comforted my sleep. It helped me keep photosynthesize, with the little amount of time I could get outside. I knew Oscio must be having fun destroying whatever comes his way… It's too bad he had to be the one hypnotized, but those Legions were smart to choose the strongest person to threaten the entire prison if he didn't get his way. However the hypnotism process had greatly nullified all his powers.

Eventually I started hearing muffled noises. I woke up immediately and grabbed the small defense dagger I had been given.

I peered out the small glass pane to my amazement. There stood a Gallade dragging Oscio and another Gallade behind him, only the other Gallade was red… He eventually set them down. And observed the place… Just what was he doing here and how did he beat Oscio?

At first I was hoping the Avengers were finally sending reinforcements… Cowards were so afraid of killing Oscio or fighting him for that matter. I watched him more closely until I decided to ignore it and fall asleep. A few seconds later, the door gets a huge thud on it. I roared up in excitement looking out the window… The door had a dent in it, and a big one too. The Gallade must be breaking it down. Another smash to the door and the door had an even bigger dent. I peered out the window for real and saw him with a sledge hammer smacking down the door. Realizing that this final blow would knock down the door, I moved out of the way for it to be smashed, and the sound of rain immediately echoed into the room. Without saying anything, he brought the red Gallade in over the shoulder, and placed him on the ground.

"Thanks," the red Gallade moaned. I stared in a confused apprehension.

"Hold on… What is going on here? How was Oscio defeated?" I asked suspiciously.

"Skit! It's me! Max!" the Gallade exclaimed. All of a sudden, the voice and the attitude was unmistakable. I was overjoyed! Max was back! We gave each other a hug and sat down on the bed.

"Max what are you doing here! How the hell did you beat Oscio? You've gotten older and weaker…" I pestered.

"I may be not as in my prime as I was, but I did not defeat Oscio," Max replied.

"Then who did?" I asked. Looking over at the red Gallade. He was exhausted, and it was in his expression.

"I need to explain some things," Max said.

"Okay. I'm listening," I responded, with my eyes focusing only on him.

"Well, you were ambushed but Megan and I hadn't come with you. They never suspected us in the first place. We started adapting to normal lives after that. We even started a family. Two boys, Brian and Zach. We lived in peace for about 17 years. I still worried for all of you, by the way…" Max started.

"I'll finish it from here," the surprisingly young sounding voice came from the corner of the room, where the other Gallade had laid. "My name is Zach. My dad's younger son. Things seemed to be going normally until this year at school. For some reason the Legion had sent an agent to attack me. It quickly involved to me getting kidnapped, then launched into the sky, and then shot…" He explained the shocking amount of trauma he had been through. It was almost as bad as our adventures. Oscio woke up soon after.

"Max… I'm so sorry… It was against my will," Oscio moaned.

"What?" Max asked.

"Everything that I said to put you down was never meant to be taken seriously. I was hypnotized by legions. All the people you fought here were actually Legionnaires. You've done the Avengers a great help by taking back this prison," Oscio answered.

"Oh… I never thought of it that way," Max commented.

"Hey… Are we going to rescue Fray and Crow too?" I asked.

"Of course we are. It wouldn't be complete without them," Max chimed. Shortly after we left to go to the other cells where Fray and Crow were. By the time we explained everything to them and actually called the Avengers to help us, the sun was starting to rise in the east sky.

Something wasn't right though. Zach had saves all of us and his dad… But how did he beat Oscio? It doesn't make sense… he's only 14… Something didn't add up and I needed to find that out.

I snuck over to him while they weren't looking. It hurt for him to move.

"Look. You and I both know you couldn't have beaten Oscio without some godly force. What is your secret?" I asked.

"I don't share any secrets. I'm just a good battler and Oscio got cocky," he answered. Playing hardball? No matter, I would get it out of him.

"I don't believe you. When Oscio gets cocky, he only does that for good reasons. So tell me what it is," I demanded.

"I told you there's nothing special! I was just on top of my game!" he yelled.

"That's preposterous! You've been through hell and back four times, and some of those were so recent you didn't even have good time to recover! NOW TELL ME!" I yelled back. There was a momentary silence.

"Okay fine… Only a few people know this… but do you know about Victini?"

Victini? Who was that? "No."

"Well… he's a supernatural being that's lived as long as you have. His species is gone except for him, and his species created packs with others to have each other thrive. However, the if the pact receiver dies, so does the Victini. I was put into one of these pacts, which gave me abilities beyond belief. Are you thirsty?" he asked me.

"Yes, but why?" I asked. He somehow made a cup of water appear from thin air.

"Here you go. Drink, it's pure and has enriching crystals," he cheerfully said. I drank the water and it was incredible… I didn't know water could be so well-made.

"Wow. How did you do that?"

"The pact gave me an ability that only psychics could use, called mental inventory. We can copy and item and make a duplicate of it whenever we want. However, we can only duplicate it once, and we can only duplicate such simple and small items."

"Wow… Anything else?"

"Yes. This is how I beat Oscio. The pact also allows any pokemon, regardless of type, to learn any attack they want, limited to very specific ones. I can't go flying or a Magcargo couldn't go surfing is what I mean. However, some abilities limited to only extremely strong and supernatural abilities can be passed down onto me. So I've learned two of these incredibly powerful moves. One is a fire attack that is basically a fire punch on steroids and steroids five times in a row. The other one is a voltaic discharge that is so potent that it's worse than being struck by lightning ten times in a row. Oscio wasn't even able to handle it. I hope that clears everything up."

"It sure did… Thanks." With that he left. Although he had been given such massive power and been through so much… I fear for more than his physical health. I fear for his mental health far more.

A wound has been gashed so deep into him that he does not even realize. It takes the hawk's eye to realize it… And this wound will eat away at him until there is nothing left. This wound is paranoia. It seems to have already acted up, and has already gotten too large. This stress may drive him into insanity… or worse suicide.

…

(Side note… This part's kind of deep because I've actually had severe mental problems, including consideration of suicide. Consider this foreshadowing.)

…

The coming afternoon a large troop of Avenger soldiers arrived at the prison. The contract would work out so that Crow, Oscio, Skit, and Fray would be assigned to open homes within our area. Dad would be able to visit them freely. They would fund them adequate money but not to our degree. Everything else would be to decide on their own.

In the end… I wasn't so fortunate. Although I had won the victory against Oscio, his power hadn't fully taken in. I spent a few days in the hospital having to get urgent operations done. They said if it weren't for the procedures that they had done I would have died. I was apparently so flooded with water that it was dissolving my bones and tissue. My bones were also shattered from the sheer power of the water I had been smashed with. This wasn't broken, this was busted into a lot of little pieces. I was essentially a rag of organs and bone fragments until they had to insert mechanical parts into my body in order to keep me supported. I would have to be a mechanical person until the end of the year. Additionally I was only allowed one gallon of concentrated water per day, in fear that I may go into the hydro dissolve phase again.

I had to stay on that part for only a month fortunately… Though the mental toll was far worse on me. Look at me, I'm a hero for my father and all these great heroes of the past. Well I certainly don't feel like a hero. I'm now only living because of metal inside my body that felt stiff and would never leave me for the remainder of the year. I learned some all godly move but got forced to drink a maximum of a gallon of water per day for the entire year…

Let alone, they denied me the right to go to school until February. I started to feel like a waste. I had sacrificed so much and come so far to get nothing. I felt little satisfaction in pleasing my dad. The metal inside me kept me awake at night, kept me fidgeting. I couldn't shower or bathe; I had to be soaked in a special base solution to be cleaned.

It built up on me too much. Far too much than it should ever build up on a fourteen year old. One day, when Vic was asleep, and my parents were out, I traveled to the hospital tower which was only a small walk away. I went on the roof and looked out on Terra City. I peered over the edge of the hulking tower.

A mile came between the top of the tower and the pavement below. I would no doubt die if I stepped off. I was leaning forward… I felt a small gust coax me over. Before I knew it I was actually falling.

I just then felt a hand grab me, and pull me back. I was pressed in and felt small drops of tears drop down on my head.

"Zach… why," my dad moaned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Dad… I…" I tried to start. I couldn't muster up the will to say them. I collapsed in a pond of tears.

"Zach… Please don't ever scare me like this. Someone said you had been going into the hospital. I was coming home to tell you…" he moaned.

"Tell… me what?" I asked.

"The metal in you… it'll be removed tomorrow," dad said. I was overjoyed. Suddenly jumping off the tower felt foolish. "We started mixing your pills and adding in an experimental ingredient that would bond your bones… It worked potently well. Your bones should be together already. Regularly this would cost so much money… But it's your birthday present."

It was incredible how drowned in my sorrow that I forgot it was new year's eve. My birthday was on new year's…

"Dad…"

"Yes Zach?"

"There's only one gift that I would need other than the metal being removed."

"What is that?"

"To stay with you for the next week. I need a real vacation."

We laughed and then stood on top of the tower. My dad could feel the cold metal that made up my exoskeleton. Despite the hardness, he still embraced me as if I was a Ralts all those years ago… We slowly stepped off the tower. Just then something occurred to my mind.

"Oh wait!"

"Huh?"

"The school holds a party for the new year! I'm going to be late!" It was actually very late at night. My dad was out to a movie with everyone.

"Well I'll drive you there. Just please stay happy throughout the party." He drove me there in a rush. These parties were massive, and there were separate ones held for each grade in different buildings. When I got out, I saw everyone dressed in fancy clothing, and it made me look embarrassing in my khakis and long-sleeved t-shirt. I rushed in and saw all my friends as I was greeted variously throughout the crowd. I soon found John. He spotted me from the crowd and was extremely happy to see me. We both ran towards each other. I walked up to him and he high-fived.

"Ow! What the heck?" he asked. The metal in my hand must have hurt.

"I can explain it to you later. For now… I just need to talk to someone," I told John. He nodded. I looked around, and I eventually saw her sitting on a couch. I walked towards her, and she only noticed me a small bit after I had gotten close enough to be spotted easily from the crowd.

"Zach?" she asked.

"Well, who else?" I questioned.

"What happened… you look like you were in a rush to get here," Alexis said concerned.

"It's nothing big. But listen. No one's around so I need to tell you something," I sat on the couch. I lowered my voice. "Don't let this all get you down. I'll make it up to you."

"How?" she asked. I smirked and ran through the crowd and found the Lucario standing tall and proudly, joking around with his friends. I grabbed his arm. He greeted me casually, but then I jerked him out of the way. I waved hi to his friends and then explained what I was doing. He started to tug but eventually I reached the couch.

There I put them together. I smiled.

"I think you both know what's coming," I smiled casually. I left them alone after that. I wasn't going to interfere with what they were going to do. Just then I heard the countdown start at 30.

Soon enough I joined in with John next to me. Soon the clock reached 5. Then 4, then 3, then 2, and then 1.

Soon the entire auditorium exploded with the phrase, "Happy New Year!"

John said happy new birthday to me. I was now officially 15.

After the party after everyone cleared I sat on the river bank. John was next to me, but so was Jake and Alexis. They were now together, as I had hoped.

I had just explained to them what had happened in Hontia, and after they had left. How I had become bionic as well as hydro dissolved. They felt sincerely sorry for me.

But I just sat there overlooking the river. We all did. It was a time to be silent.

Soon Alexis decided to sing:

"Silent night. Holy night.

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, mother and child.

Holy infant so tender and mild.

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace."

I decided to join in. I knew the lyrics.

"Silent night. Holy night.

Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia.

Christ, the Saviour is born…

Christ the Saviour is born."

Jake and John joined in for the last verse.

"Silent night. Holy night.

Son of God, love's pure light.

Radiant beams from thy holy face.

With the dawn redeeming grace.

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth."

After that we all split up and went home. Dad picked me up and I fell asleep in the car. When I woke up, he took me to get the metal removed. I felt alive when was free of that accursed metal. I didn't care how sore the nulling felt afterwards, but it just felt good to be me again.

By and by the day was calm and serene. So was the rest of the week that I was taking off. I spent all my time at home with dad, Brian, Mom… We watched TV, rested, ate meals brought in or made fresh… Oscio, Skit, Fray, and Crow visited me from time to time to give me "Get Well" cards. I appreciated them and told them to have a good time living like a real person.

I just wonder what will happen with them. They are quite nice and outgoing people, and are very talented in many different fields of skills. Though nothing can be predicted right now.

John came over from time to time when he wasn't busy with school work to give me some comfort. Same with Jake, John M., and even Kyle who heard I was very under the weather, in which certain ways I still was. With the hydro dissolve issue I could very well die if I wasn't careful. Though it was definitely a relief now that I wasn't more metal than flesh.

Peace was something that I had no experienced in a long time since the four months since school had started. School would end by May, so it was halfway through. I enjoyed it thoroughly while it lasted…

Because not all good things last forever.

…

Nappa: VEGETA! WHAT DOES THE WEBSITE SAY ABOUT THIS STORY'S WORD LEVEL?

Vegeta: *Takes off Virtual Reality visor* IT'S OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND!

Nappa: WHAT ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND?

No kidding. Over 100,000 thousand words. Most stories don't accomplish that in only 10 chapters, so I feel very proud of this milestone. It just proves that I write for fun and nothing else.

I sincerely thank anyone that has favorited and hope many more readers come this way and hope they enjoy this story to come. This isn't even half way through the first fifth of the series and it's already consumed half a year's time. However, it shall not take that long because of my lap top.

Now then, let me take care of more business matters…

I already stated that after this chapter I was going to take a break at least 3 times. Now that this chapter is done… I'm not taking a break.

Why? Because I'm so eager to get to work on this new story. It's a Team Fortress 2 story, and if you like TF2, then I suggest you go read it. I'm not going to put the link up though, so you'll have to check in through my home page. These chapters will alternate, and if I get a stale mind I'll temporarily switch to my reserve story.

Plus, the TF2 story has half the required words in order to complete a chapter! That means rather than a chapter taking over a week, it will probably take less than a week. After three chapters of that, I'm going to work on chapter 11, or the new start to this story. However, that will probably only come since I will take a break AFTER the TF2 story has three chapters. There's nothing else to clear up.

If you liked this story (and have an account) then please favorite or be courteous enough to leave a review. If you have any suggestions, I'd be willing to hear them, as long as they're turned into constructive criticism. If you would like to know easier when a new chapter comes out, add this to your favorites or alert list.

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!

~DTH~


	11. Chapter 11, Call to Arms

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokémon Fanfiction. Chapter 11, Call to Arms

***I think a vast majority of you (Not just Menace) had the same bug Menace did with the chapter. Well I re-uploaded it in that case. Hope it gets fixed.**

Author's: Well, I'm back after, what, a month or two? Yeah it took a bit longer than I expected, so sorry. It was also due to a few complications as well:

1, I've been having more trouble writing as I fall asleep easier. Less time to write = less writing done.

2, I THOUGHT I was getting braces, then they were postponed a month, and _then _I got them. As a stressful experience, I wasn't happy. And =( means less effort to write.

3, I wanted to do a fourth chapter for the other story as it was a crucial part to the story. So don't blame me; blame the plotline.

Also, I designed my own language for this. Wait what? Design your own language? Deathlark what kind of crazy-ass trickery is this?

Well I had been playing Skyrim a lot, and the dragon language inspired me to try my own language. So expect to see some new phrases pop up. Their translations are also in parenthesis. It was also more of just writing gibberish and re-using it in certain ways, so that works too.

So, without further ado, I rejuvenate this story. RISE MY STORY! RIIIISE!

**Disclaimer: Well, I surely don't own anything collateral in here, including pokemon. So don't bitch me about not stating where something was from, because I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS REAL IN THIS!**

…

I dashed through the plains, water cloaked and scroll in hand. The rain still made the same noise, but it would not strike my skin triggering the water-dissolve. Vic was reciting those same words in my head:

"Crovasi ect tunah vasíth. Morei ton voct nah vasíth ou tunah crowno ou thand. Morei ton Raikou! (I summon the lord. Come down my lord of the king of thunder! Come down Raikou!)"

"Jeez Vic I know the chant already."

"Well, just hoping you don't forget when the time comes." I saw the large hill in sight. I quickly dashed atop the hill, and stood atop the stone plate. I then held the scroll up high.

"Crovasi ect tunah vasíth. Morei ton voct nah vasíth ou tunah crowno ou thand. Morei ton Raikou!" The scroll soon glowed brightly yellow, and the massive bolt of lightning struck inches away from my face. I shielded my eyes with the scroll so I would not go blind.

"Barvé thoi Regaldi. (Greetings Sir Regaldi.) I was informed by my brother Entei that you needed to see me." Raikou appeared in place of the lightning bolt.

"Consé Raikou. (Well met Raikou.) No need to be formal."

"Vars. Crov noson thereé tes polet. (Nonsense. I have always been polite.)"

"Tresv. (Essentially their version of "Okay".) I have come to learn from the crowno ou thand. The mastery of the súvois. (Súvois means soul.)"

"Tunah súvois? Loón. (The soul? Oh dear.)"

"Hm?"

"Tunah súvois ou lectirís is only known by the true kings of thand." (Lectirís = electricity)

"I see. Who is tunah crowno ou thand?"

"Hm… the king of thunder. The bringer of light and storms. The flying bolt. His name is Thundurus. Tunah vyun crowno ou thand." (Vyun = True)

"Tunah súvois lectirís… Only known by vyun crowns?"

"Yoi. (Yes.) The súvois lectirís is only gifted to the crowns so strong and adept in electric mastery that only they, the vyun crowns, can learn it."

"As for a blessed? (Blessed is actually what someone is called if they have a Victini pact.)"

"Ej se blessed? (As for blessed?) I am not sure. Only the vyun king, Thundurus would know."

"Vons oés Thundurus? (Who is Thundurus?)"

"Thundurus? Hm… the bringer of storms, the father of tempests, the master of lightning. He is unusually powerful in the art of the lectirís. Gifted with the might of a thousand thands. Indeed, he is the master of everything lectirís. Much like how Moltres is the vyun crown of fole." (Fole = Fire)

"Hm… About the súvois…"

"Youn?" (Well a bit of explaining to do here. This language is primarily based on conjugating for tenses and questioning. Yo is the prefix for yes. Yoi = Answering, Youv = Stating, Youn = Asking. Generally this is the conjugation for questioning.)

"In order to master a súvois, how skilled must a blessed be?"

"Tunah dess ou ja blessed… (The skill of a blessed) They must be quite adept in their mastery over the jonsé. (Jonsé has no direct translation, so it's essentially those super moves Zach knows) Though some are born naturally, like you with the súvois of psychíís (There really isn't a translation necessary for psychíís). You picked it up flawlessly. However, the process of learning a new súvois, unlike a jonsé can be… toiling. I had met a blessed a very long time ago who had picked up the súvois of vwas quite easily. (Vwas = water) However, he tried to learn the súvois of fuíne (fuíne = fighting) and was so overcome by the difficulty that he nearly killed himself. Of course, that Victini reminded him that it would kill him two, severing the pact they made. Of course, in the great war, he was murdered anyways."

"Hm… Qeu desses ou tunes blessed?" (How skilled was this blessed?)

"All of these blessed were adults, and had much more mental capacity than you do. However, their arrogance only made it worse with the frustration of not being able to master a new súvois. Only a few ever learned a second súvois. None learned a third."

"How many súvois are even possible to learn?"

"Potentially all, though a regular person's head would explode from sheer overwork after just one súvois. Though a blessed? You, thoi Regaldi, may be able to learn around 8. Your blessing was unlike most; for Vic is no regular Victini, but the elder one. Any other may have been only able to learn 6. But as I said; be warned, it is a rigorous and seemingly impossible process for whatever súvois you are learning." There was soon a shift in temperature.

"It is time for you to go."

"Indeed. The next storm I must speak to you on some very key matters. Enshés, thoi Regaldi." (Enshés = Goodbye) Soon the scroll turned bright yellow again, and Raikou leapt up into the clouds with a mighty roar and trailed off.

A lot had happened between these two weeks. I think there needs to be a replay.

Vic told me that blessed do not just have to learn these extremely strong moves and wait for my power to regain. Though in order to have such a luxury, they'd have become extremely adept in the mastery of a soul. He told me that these souls are only known by one extremely powerful entity in the world. Originally, Vic was a regular Victini. Then once his race was wiped, the crown of the elder Victini was handed down to him, and with that he learned the soul of Mentality. Not only would this increase someone's mental stability, but it would also give a person the luxury of the mental storage. However, the mental stability was not enough to stop my emotional downpours, but was enough to prolong the suicide attempt I had thought.

He told me that every type of pokemon has a soul, some with more than one. The ones that have more than one are psychic, flying, steel, and dark. Psychic has telekinesis and mentality, flying has flight and air, steel has magnetism and stability, and dark has light and dark.

Only some of these mythical beasts know a soul well enough to pass it down to a blessed. A regular pokemon's mind would not be comprehensive enough to withstand the complexity of a soul, unless they had a blessing.

So far I only know that Vic has the mentality mastery, Thundurus has Electricity mastery, and that Moltres has Flame mastery. I did meet Moltres once to see if I could learn the flame soul, though to my sadness, the flame mastery is more complicated than the telekinesis mastery, making it the most complicated one. This excludes flight, which is impossible to anything that lacks wings. Otherwise, it's easy to learn.

Let me put this in more mathematical terms; here are the lists of souls.

Also, the normal does not have a soul specialty. Instead, it learns all souls easier than others. The value of a soul is represented by the number. An average blessed has roughly 12 points. I have supposedly 24. If something knows flight, than it can learn air without any cost.

Flame – 11

Aquatics – 3

Nature – 5

Thunder – 2

Ice – 4

Fighting/Power – 2

Venom – 6

Earth – 1

Flight – Impossible/2

Air – 7

Mentality – 5

Telekinesis – 9

Insective – 4

Stone – 2

Shadow – Unknown Possessor

Dragon – 4

Darkness – 3

Light – 8

Magnetism – Unknown Possessor

Stability – Unknown Possessor

With the three unknown possessors, the original, and only shadow comprehensive "legendary" pokemon, Giratina, was slain in the ancient battle for Freedom. Since then its knowledge was lost. As for Magnetism and Stability, there is no known possessor of the steel souls, so no one is even sure if it can be learned. Though it is proven as some high pokemon know magnetism, and one apparently knows stability.

Also, I know enough about each soul except shadow to give a general description.

The flames soul allows someone to use flame fury without wearing themselves out. Additionally, it makes them fireproof as well as extinguish or ignite anything. It can also alter heat.

Aquatics allows someone to use tempest without any drawback. It can additionally allow them to glide atop water, or bend water to their will.

Nature can let someone use leaf execution without drawback. It also lets the master grow whatever plant they want, wherever.

Thunder lets the master use voltaic discharge without phasing. It lets them call a storm and conduct electricity too.

Ice lets the wielder use freeze frame whenever someone wants. It is granted the ability to call a snow storm or hail on a moment's notice.

Fighting/Power can let someone use sacred sword at any time, as well as let the master gain incredible strength and power.

Venom allows someone to use viral poison at any time. The master gains immunity to poisons and can extract poison from plants. Goes hand in hand with nature.

Earth allows someone to use fissure at any time and lets the person use the ground at its mercy.

Flight can let a person fly. There isn't much else except that the air soul is easy to learn.

Air can let someone bend the air around them and use summon cyclone without drawback.

Mentality is self-explanatory, though telekinesis allows the master to mess around with objects at any time, with the ability to cast force beam at any time.

Insective is unusual, as it allows someone to summon an insect swarm at any time. Though more usefully, they can plant on to any surface just by touching it.

Stone can have someone become a golem at any time, as well as being able to stop any rock attack or rock hurled at them.

Dragon allows someone to become charged with the might of the dragon at any time, allowing them to attack faster than the naked eye comprehends, as well as increase power.

Darkness lets the master use shadow rend at any time, and become one with the darkness to become a shadow form.

Light allows someone to cast blinding beam at any time and can haze someone, and can reflect anything, becoming a mirror like object.

Magnetism allows the master to make anything magnetically charged to different degrees.

Stability allows the user to give anything a hard metal exoskeleton, potentially killing them. They can do the same to themselves.

The other important thing was me talking to Raikou in a different language. All the powerful pokemon learned whatever present language there was, but they still often use the language of Arceus to converse. Vic informed me on this, saying it would be a lot more comfortable to talk to ancients this way. He said he could gift me the entire knowledge through mentality, so I literally became fluent in this language in a few seconds. It's funny in a way.

Today is February 13th, 1014; infamously known as the day before Valentine's day. Our valentine's day differs in no ways from yours. Same old give a girl a special gift that's practically worthless other than to symbolize love. I see it as another one of those media blow-ups that are used to make money. However, this has been giving me more stress than heart-warmth.

Alexis and Jake broke up not very long after they came together, which ruined my relief in the romantic field. Nonetheless, I'm getting concerned about many others that could potentially have a crush on me. I'm unwillingly attractive, due to what I was thrown into and how it affected my general personality.

As soon as the government released the information on the gun, it became known throughout the Avengers like wildfire. Kids started using the terms, and many people started gaining different pistols. A month ago I felt unique owning one. Now it makes me feel like everyone else, in a good way.

Sadly, this power has been quite irresponsibly used in the time it has been released… Murder rates and attacks have nearly tripled in quantity, the majority of these cases with guns. The only bonus is that the war has been more equal than it was.

Fortunately for me the Legion has stopped meddling in my business. I'm confident they'll leave me alone for a while, but something tells me they'll come back sometime. Best to be on my guard. My mental storage contains a gun and more than enough bullets to last. I'll be prepared.

I walked in the door without my helmet being wet.

"Hey Zach. How was Raikou?"

"He was very useful in giving me some information. Though I may be… a bit occupied for some time."

"Uh wait… what do you mean?"

"You know my mental storage right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I may be able to learn something just as applicable as that. But it could take months of practice."

"And just how will you do this?" I was silent. "Well?"

"Actually, I didn't think that out." Brian laughed.

"Well, you'll find something. You always." He pat me on the back. "I'm going to Rachel's house." I nodded.

"I'll be *cough* meditating." I winked at him and he knew what I implied. I winked at him and he knew what I implied.

The night passed restlessly. I couldn't sleep for some reason. Even with the meditating advice Vic had given me, I was still having trouble just getting satisfactory sleep.

"Vic…"

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep."

"How long did you meditate?"

"Two hours."

"Jeez… I think something may be creating an interference."

"Yeah… but what?"

…

The Zoroark, quite powerful, walked up to the infinite shadow.

"Hail the darkness," the man said, and the shadow contained vibrant red eyes all of a sudden.

"Zach Regaldi, has not been dealt with."

"Yes sir. I have asked the legion to send more units but they've refused after that incident in the Terra Special Prison."

"If they will not send power, than I will make them."

"Whatever you wish my lord." The man dialed up his phone.

"Servais? It's me, the Rat."

"Ah yes. What is it Rat? Not another call for reinforcements is it?"

"This time it's on the behalf of the lord."

"Oh jeez. I'll tell Ark right now. Thanks for the information." The other man soon hung up.

"The reinforcements will be sent," the Zoroark said to the shadow.

"You have done well. Earn your sleep, in my shadow." He then walked into the shadow, enveloped in its anti-mass, soon disappearing completely. "Zach Regaldi, must be wiped from this plane of existence…"

…

"Zach! Get up! You're going to miss breakfast!" Mom's voice was always the one that woke me up. I irritably got out of bed. I couldn't sleep very much; only had about two hours.

Of course, I was more reluctant than usual to get out of bed, because it was Valentine's day. As I said, I didn't care for it that much, and I knew something crazy was going to happen at school due to it.

I moaned and got my shirt on. I looked down my chest just before though. There were still a number of bruises and cut marks that I had acquired over my _adventures_. I didn't like them, as if they were reminders of what happened. They also sparked the pain in my spike, so I quickly clutched it carefully when the pain jolted.

I got down slowly and had a waffle and a bowl of cereal. Dad has to leave early due to his work. Despite everything he still never tells me what it's about. He always says he works with old relics and such, but I have a feeling that he makes it up to hide something. I've spied him sometimes doing peculiar things that would be deemed as work. Even though I know our history, my parents are still shrouded in mystery.

"Hi honey. How did you sleep?"

"I don't think I got much."

"Ugh, you never do. Aren't you going to bed early?"

"Yes."

"_And _are you meditating?"

"Yes…"

"*Moan* This is getting worse. Soon you won't be able to sleep unless you unwillingly do so. I worry about this stuff Zach."

"Are you sure that music and other stuff wouldn't help?" Brian asked.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. That isn't the most relaxing thing to me."

"Well… I want to do something about this. Maybe we can see a therapist or get some medication," mom told me.

"I'd rather try medication. My mind is just undergoing a lot of stress."

"Whatever you want sweetie," she said as she rubbed my head. After that I went out to the bus stop, rendezvousing with my brother. We got on the bus, and I took my seat next to Kyle.

"Hey Kyle. What's up?"

"Nothin' much. How's life?"

"Blandish. Not too interesting." Of course I was making that up.

"Well… you know what today is. That should zest things up." I knew what he was getting at.

"Oh god just- shut up please."

"Ha! You always get so vexed about these!"

"Never took you for the one with vocabulary?"

"Really? I know lots of it. Not as much as you though."

"Well, I hope it isn't too dramatic. I also remembered I have a doctor's appointment today. Based on that whole water dissolve issue."

"Oh right… 1 gallon a day, right?"

"Yep. It's aggravating really, as if it rains I just can't go out at all. At least it's on the tail end."

"Well that's great. How's 10th grade battle class been going?"

"Despite the facts, I'm one of the best students. The teacher asked me if I wanted to be promoted to the ABC, but I don't want to have to meet up with Mr. Endire again."

"Why? You don't like him?" I shrugged.

"For reasons." I forgot that not everybody knows that I punched Mr. Endire.

"Well I guess he is uptight. He's a damn good teacher though."

Matt appeared from the seat behind.

"Hey guys. It's Valentine's day."

"Hey Matt. You getting Allie a present?"

"Yeah. I got her one of those boxes of candies that the Cheerleaders are giving out. No one cares for some stupid roses."

"Crontozis (Damn it, in the ancient language)!" Vic yelled in my mind.

"What?" I asked him.

"I forgot it was Valentine's day."

"Oh… right…" I remembered Vic's story. I felt a bit sad for him.

"Zach?" Matt asked.

"Huh? What?"

"Why do you space out like that?"

"I wasn't spacing out! I just wasn't paying attention." They were silent.

"Well, are you going to answer our question?"

"Repeat please."

"Did you get anyone a Valentine?"

"I think you BOTH know the answer."

"Told you!" Kyle gloated.

"Fine," Matt moaned, handing over a rubber band and a collection of paper wasps.

"Oh god paper wasps. Those freaking things…" I've been shot by many, and they sting.

"Don't worry. They aren't for you."

"Well that's a relief." Not long after, the bus stopped in front of the school.

About that cheerleader fundraiser mentioned, the cheerleaders often hold fundraisers for various things, with this fundraiser being for an orphanage.

The point was that, for the last week, during lunch people could pay three dollars for a box of candy or a rose to be sent to someone, anonymously or revealing who they were, to help fund it. Of course it was on everyone's mind, and personally, it was going to make this day more hectic. They handed these out during homeroom, so I was going to find out if anything happened early or not.

As I walked into homeroom, two cheerleaders were already waiting. They had a large box of mostly roses, with maybe two candy boxes. By the looks of it, this was a larger amount, as it nearly filled the entire box. Figures; there's a lot of popular kids. Jake, Andy, and quite a few others.

As they were being handed out, the box had cleared out faster than I expected. The majority had already been given out to the kids. I thought that I would get nothing… oh boy.

Jake had received one from a girl he knew, and two anonymous. That was a quite a feat on its own, and Andy had gotten two anonymous. Everyone else received no more than two, and there were apparently seven left. The boxes of candy had both been given to Jake; the funny thing is he must have told some of them, as almost no one gave candy to each other.

The seven remaining? Not 3, not 4, but 5 of them were handed to me. The class laughed with hilarity, as I just remained silent as the pile of roses were stacked on my desk. As I sifted through the pile, to my dismay, they were ALL anonymous.

This just pissed me off. I wanted to go to the bathroom and dump them out, because I had no use for them. What good does a flower do, and what's the point of getting me one if you won't tell who you gave it to? At first I thought my friends were skeptic, but by the conversations, I think these were legitimate Valentine's from people I did not know.

What was more concerning was the amount I received. Even Jake, with his rose and two boxes of candy, was jealous of the amount I received. I told him that he shouldn't be jealous, as I didn't care.

"What do you mean you don't care? You have all these girls like you and you just toss them away!" Nihar exclaimed.

"Why should I keep them if I don't care about them?" I asked Nihar back.

"Arceus, sometimes I don't get you Zach."

"I'd be worried if you did."

"Ha! No kidding," a kid named Chris said from behind.

"Well, I'd do quite a bit to get a girl to like me," Nihar said.

"I'd do a bit to stop them."

"You're really unusual. That's why they like you," Chris philosophized.

"Really now?" I asked.

"Yeah. The ladies dig someone who sticks out. Just don't ram it into the ground."

"I think I drove it through the earth though…" I moaned.

"Whatever. Just see if you can find out one of them that sent you these; you may just find something interesting. See ya!" Chris was nice, although he has a fast mouth. However, he's in my history/biology class, and he is one of Nihar's friends. He's smart too.

Eventually battle class came, and today I was a bit worried. We were going to match each other from different sectors, so I could possibly be matched up with someone too good for me. That 10th grade Rhypherior did quite a number on me, and he wasn't the best for sure. As we stood in the lineup, the same jerk Gallade (who hates me because I can beat him quite easily in a fight) shoots a paper wasp at me while the teacher isn't looking. I kept quiet despite the sting, and he silently laughed to himself as he took aim.

I saw an opportunity though. The teacher was walking through, so what I did is I got up a small reflective barrier that he was too ignorant to see. When he shot the wasp, I made it change its direction and hit the teacher square on the forehead. Oh wow was he mad! The Gallade got in so much trouble, and didn't even realize that I was the reason why that happened. Revenge is always best when nobody knows it was you.

However, to my dismay, I was matched with a particularly devious opponent for my type; a Skarmory. Not only was she flying, but she had steel too, which made many of my midair take down attacks weaker.

In the end the fight had barely gone to me. The teacher said I would have to have a temporary break from fighting from the shots I had taken. I think my general resistance to pain has gone up ever since these incidents. It's good in certain cases but bad to my physical health.

What happened is that I managed to ground her at times, using more of my forceful attacks like Stone Edge to get her into the ground. Once that occurred, I would try to use fire punch before she could encounter. This occasionally worked, though my finisher had been to suspend myself above her by doing a handstand on top. With this, I used a focus punch channeled into a kick. The interesting thing is that this would have been unheard of in the regular 9th grade class. It's just typical regime in the 10th. They really step it up in these higher grades…

After class I needed a break quite desperately, and lunch served as a good time. I was at the table that I usually sit at. To my interest, Nihar wasn't there, so I went to find where he was. I just realized that he was sitting at a table with a lot of people who I knew, and respected me. So I sat there instead. To clarify things, this is the table that I would sit with throughout all my years of high school, with almost no exceptions.

This table was far nicer than the past one, as these were much funnier and kinder people than the ones at my old table. I never wanted to go back to Kyle's table, as the display they put on didn't really make a fitting first impression.

Ever since the incident with me getting shot, I feel like Alexis has never been able to forgive herself for what she did. It makes me pity her, even more so that Jake broke up with her.

She must be tormented today, not having anyone. I know some people, unlike me, would kill for someone to be romantically attracted to them.

I saw her mope pathetically at the corner of her table, while I chatted pleasantly with my friends. I couldn't keep the iron knot in my heart from forcing my attention to her every few seconds. Every time I saw her I feel like a bit more of me died away.

I'm not sure if I should lie about it, though I need to do something for her. Though what else heals a broken heart on Valentine's Day?

A Valentine obviously. As soon as I thought of it, I think I got a headache. I don't like her, but I still send her a Valentine? It would be anonymous, but at least she'd cheer up knowing that there has to be someone that likes her. I just realized that it wouldn't work; she had already received two anonymous Valentines.

As a result, I went through the entire lunch period with my heart in dampened spirits rather than chat happily with my friends, knowing that some people are broken hearted on Valentine's day.

As History/Biology wrapped up, I knew that dad was going to get me taken in for the check-up and water dissolve soon. I would miss out on recess, but I didn't mind. I've honestly been a bit tired of my friends, as they've been bugging me today too much about who _loooooves _me. Freaking ridiculous I tell you…

But what I did not expect halfway through the class was a phone call. Mr. Tommison picked it up and told me that I had to go to the office for an early dismissal. I thought that this was just an error and he had to pick me up early.

No matter; I went down, got my backpack, coat, packed the homework, and headed up the stairs to the office.

I stood at the foot of the midway in the stairwells, paralyzed with fear. A Gallade with my dad's jacket posed in place of me. I saw clearly what he could not; an imposter. Not just any imposter, but a legionnaire. The soul of his mind was black as night. The small L shaped piece of metal jutted from his pocket.

I rushed back down the stairs, making too much noise, and he knew what that noise was. I dropped my backpack and coat immediately at the bottom of the stairwell.

I dashed through the hall, and Kyle showed up at the end of it.

"Hey Zach, why are you-" I had no time, and I had to shove him out of the way. "Hey what the hell!" I didn't bother to respond, as any sound could give me away. I saw a Janitor's closet, immediately ripped it open, and got inside.

A few seconds later, I heard a man walk by quickly.

"Hey you. Zoroark. Yeah you. Have you seen a red Gallade come by?"

"Yeah, why?" I immediately knew where this was going. As quietly as I could, I saw the tiled ceiling at the top of the room. I used the wall to remove a tile and get on top of the ceiling.

"Did you see where he went? I need to talk to him."

"He went over there… somewhere I think the janitor's closet."

"Thanks." He soon walked over. I rested above the tile, my ear close to it. The door opened, and I heard him slam the door, and yell, "Damn it!" I was out for now, but I heard him pick up his cell phone.

"Yeah he ran! I can't find him. Stay here? Do you have… he's won't come down. Hell he'll run away from school if he has to! He knows I'm a legion somehow. Stupid pistol showed it off…" Pistol? Was that what it was called? Now I'm confused…

"Look for him? How will I do that without gaining the attention of the guards? Hm… Fine I'll find something out." I knew this was going to be a game of hide and seek. I restlessly followed his footsteps until I made a noise in the vents I shouldn't have. He was immediately alerted, and tried to take off the tile. He didn't find me, but he knew that I was hiding in the ceiling.

He laughed to himself, and I knew he was going to do something. I viewed from the end of the section, and he put some device in an open tile. I saw him hook up a battery, and I think he was going to use something to electrocute me. I didn't like this. I started to creep along until I formulated an idea. If this was going to need power to flush me out, I would have to repeat my actions and toggle the power of the school. If anyone finds out I'll be in some deep trouble, but if it means having my life it won't be all that bad.

I didn't know the blueprints exactly, but I knew the layout of the school. I knew where the generator was, but I couldn't risk going down; he must be paroling the area, and maybe even hooking up the device to the generator. I tried to keep a sense of direction, and I crawled through only to my dismay to find that he has already hooked it up.

Before I knew it, I heard the device revving up. Without haste, I jumped down, destroying the tile, and pulled every wire I could. The electricity would probably conducted through the metals in this room from the looks of it.

With great relief, the lights suddenly went dim, and I knew that nothing bad was going to happen.

Soon students started to scramble. I acted conspicuous in a more deserted area. Kids were getting evacuated, yet somehow I wasn't noticed. I waited for the man to come to me for a fair fight, now that there wouldn't be any disruptions.

Though soon things started to repeat their history.

"ZACH!" Alexis yelled. She ran right up to me and grabbed me by the neck. Not again… "WHY AGAIN!"

"Becau-"

"IS EVERYONE IN DANGER AGAIN! HUH!"

"Well not-"

"THEN WHY DID YOU KILL THE POWER!"

"Hey get away from your boyfriend and let him fight me!" the Gallade yelled.

"Do I have to explain anymore?" I told Alexis. She nodded with a bit of guilt. Without warning, he pulled out his gun and shot it towards Alexis. She screamed, terrified, and I caught the bullet. He was amazed. I held out the bullet, and dropped it. It was clear what I meant, so he dropped his gun as well. Alexis stepped back in fear, probably worried about the fight.

We ran at each other and locked blades. He followed up with a mach punch with his leg. So he knows how to change moves as well…

I countered with a protect and tried to launch a psycho cut. He combined a more powerful version of night slash with psycho cut and launched it to override it. I deflected the shot and boosted myself towards him. I tried to use hammer arm, but he dodged and I fell to the ground. He countered with a brick break right onto my back. I felt my bones hold together, and it hurt very badly. I tried to recover, only to get a night slash directly. Unlike the launched version, its far stronger. I was launched to the wall, and heard a terrified yell from Alexis. I managed to get up quick enough to deflect another oncoming night slash, and counter with a bullet punch.

He was stunned by this, and I used the opportunity to use a focus punch. With the small amount of time I had, he regained his senses to get pounded in the face.

He was knocked back a good distance, skidding across the polished floor.

"Way to go Zach," Vic cheered in my mind. He got up, and, with rage, he launched a powered version of fire punch. It was new to me, and I used ice punch and swirled around to stop it. He grunted, and charged at me. Just before he was about to hit me with a focus punch, I charged up one of the super punches behind my back. I jumped right over him, turned, and used the punch.

To my dismay though, he was not charging a focus punch. He had used bide, and now it was complete. He yelled out, and launched an incredible beam of power, throwing me across the hall, pressed up against a classroom wall. I had carved a crater in the wall, and I slowly fell out, only for him to stand there gloating on my feet.

"Get up! ZACH GET UP!" Alexis yelled. It was too late. He had a blade in hand now, and it was already stained with blood.

"I already got your dad. Now it's your turn." He blocked any of Alexis's attacks that were being launched at him. He was using some sort of force field. I was ready to accept my fate, when all of a sudden a large crack breaks the scene. Soon a plume of blood rushed out of the Gallade's chest, and he falls down to the ground dead. I got up, panting, feeling like I may have broken a few bones. I spotted dad at the end of the hall, gun in hand. It was visibly larger, and brown too. I think it was a rifle.

He must have bought one from one of the new gun companies. He was standing there, and then he ran over to me.

"Are you okay Zach?"

"Yeah… just roughed up." He smiled and patted me on the back.

"Let's get you to the doctor." I got on my feet and walked up to Alexis.

"Remember: This isn't your fault, and it wasn't back then."

"What does that mean?" she asked, a bit irritated. I smirked.

"You'll find that out for yourself." I walked away. I was glad she didn't call out to say anything.

"So what happened dad? How did he get your coat?"

"He ambushed me at home, and cut into my helmet. Because of that I was dazed, and played dead to get him to leave, only to realize that he was coming for you. That's when I head over to the school, rifle in hand, to find the scene you were in."

"Alright…" I had an exhausted tone.

"Tired eh?"

"Just the usual," I said, leaning on his shoulder.

"Ah there, there. I'm sure you'll start to build up more endurance. I'm quite proud of you for protecting your girlfriend."

"What?"

"Yeah that special Gardevoir. She's your girlfriend isn't she?"

"No. I don't know why you would expect that."

"Really? You sure there isn't _anything_?" Stop acting so provocative…

"YES. I'm sure."

"Oh fine." Something tells me that he still didn't believe me. Oh he would find out soon enough.

He would find out.

…

I was ready. Max had already given me the instructions on what to do. I had the anesthetic specifically prepared for this occasion.

I heard him pull in back, get checked in and everything else.

"Hello Regaldis. How are you today?"

"Hey doc. Zach's in for his check-up."

"Alright then. Let's get it started." I did the usual vital checks. Everything was set to go. I told Zach to lie still on the bed.

"You'll feel a small prick; it won't hurt, I assure you." He still was worried, as if I ever told him that he didn't feel good. "Good… now hold on…" I rubbed a bit of oil on his skin designed to numb the wire going in.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Zach be quiet." His dad was a man I have known for a long time. Ever since Zach was young I've seen him almost every few weeks due to his unusual conditions.

As soon as the oil took effect, I scraped a small bit of skin off. He winced a bit, but I was glad that he kept his composure. I soon took the almost impossible to see wire and placed it near the open scab. I put on my microscopic lens and looked closely. It was so small that even under the sight of the lens it was hard to see the wire.

I slowly moved it inside the scab, and it went in without a problem. This wire was designed not to come into contact with anything in the body, which is why it is so small.

I maneuvered up until a point.

"Well, hold on Zach. This will feel weird."

"What!" he panicked. I jolted the wire and soon he was half-unconscious. His body functioned, but he would have no clue of what would happen.

"Alright, let's get this over with quick," Max said. He didn't like his son being treated like this.

"Max, if you want this data you'll have to get this over with."

"Fine doc. Just fine." He sounded a bit indignant.

We soon led him through the secret passage I had installed, and the rest of the team had the operating table all hooked up. All my men were at the computers monitoring everything.

"Gentlemen, we are going to start. Get ready to hold onto your keyboards." They nodded and started up a program. "Max, I'll need your help on this one." He nodded, and helped get all the different sensors attached to Zach's body. Soon there was very little room from this.

"How is it on reactivity?" I asked.

"There's nothing as he's subconscious."

"Agh… Give me a flashlight!" A crew member handed me one, and I flashed the light down his eye.

"His brain sensitivity is extremely powerful. If he were awake he may be hard to control right now. He sure loathes getting these check-ups…"

"I know he does. Now continue to work!" I started performing different interactions with him. The IQE found his IQ to be unknown. It couldn't be determined. That was odd… if anything this should of worked fine. It was 100% accurate and could measure an unsuspecting person's IQ.

"Do you think it's the sub consciousness causing it?"

"Maybe. Though I'd guess not, as he still had knowledge circulating throughout his cells."

"Alright. Try and get something from that test."

"Doctor! This is urgent!" Whenever the words, "this is urgent" is uttered, we all know to be silent.

"Yes?"

"Zach's mental activity is off the charts! I've expanded it to its max and it will not fully comprehend."

"Even to 1 billion rans?"

"Yes." All the doctors started chatting amongst each other.

"Rans? What are rans?" Max asked.

"Let's just say it's how fast your brain acts. A ran is essentially action per second. You probably have about a 29 ran count. Your son… is un-chartable."

"So that means?" He still didn't understand? Ugh…

"Your son can react to something faster than anyone else. The highest ran count ever documented was 237. He has thousands of times that amount!"

"Holy Arceus… Then why isn't he invincible?"

"I think he doesn't apply this ran count," said the agent.

"Most likely. If he had that many rans he could figure out the reason why we're here in an hour."

"I'm doing a second count." We were silent for a second. "Hm yeah. With the pendulum test he was only documenting about 401 rans."

"That's still extremely fast."

"Yes, though keep in mind it isn't anything to cause major significance, other than being the fastest. In order to become a simple website you'd have to have around 23000 rans." I remained silent.

"Doctor?"

"You're all done everybody. We've gotten enough information for now." Everyone looked confused at each, but did what they were told. How was this possible though? Un-chartable rans?

I downloaded those results and plugged them into a different graphing mechanism. I set the max to 1 quadrillion. He still maxed out the chart, but I saw a noticeable thinning of the line. I expanded the limit by 100 trillion and found the direct results:

1,082,785,104,992,780. Good lord… that's remarkable…

…

I woke up in bed with little knowledge of what happened. All I remembered was a strong shock and passing out.

"Oh thank god you're awake. You've been out for a while now," Vic said in my mind.

"What the- where in the name of Arceus am I?"

"A hospital bed. Some doctors have been doing tests on you."

"Oh god- please don't tell me they're trying to find out the seal…"

"I've sealed off all communications with the seal. Don't worry. They're measuring for something called rans…"

"Rans? Oh… why would they be measuring my thought process?"

"Rans are thought process? How much is a ran?"

"A ran is a thought; most people have around 30 rans, as it correlates to the nearest second; or thought per second. The most I've heard of in my area was about 37 rans."

"Well… what's the record?"

"200 something. Not sure. Where do you get these measurements?"

"Don't look now, but I think you may double the record." What? I looked around and saw the TTD. I looked at the counter and saw 409.

"How…"

"Probably the jonsé. I noticed it as well; ever since you learned fole corth (flame fury), you started thinking a hell of a lot faster. Very, VERY fast."

"Huh. They said I had an extremely ran count when I was 11, at 63. I didn't realize how fast I think sometimes. There's one thing though…"

"Hm?"

"There's active rans and potential rans. The potential rans are a lot harder to measure, and usually are around the 100 thousands. Many people forget that."

"So where would we find one of these devices that measure potential rans?"

"Each hospital should have- ah!" I saw the machine only to be dumbfounded. How did I have over a quadrillion PR's? That didn't even make sense!

"How the hell could I even have that many PR's…"

"I don't know. How do you apply potential rans?"

"You can't. They only come in during significant events."

"Hm… use a fole corth."

"Why?"

"I want to see a spike in the rans if you use a jonsé. Now do it."

"Alright." I charged up flame fury, but didn't use it. I saw the rans skyrocket to about a few trillion rans.

"Just as I suspected. We never knew what allowed blessed to use the jonsé so efficiently, but now we know. The state of mind becomes much more hyperactive than it is regularly so it can comprehend the complexity of the jonsé."

"Huh… well that explains a good portion of it." I started to feel lightheaded. "Vic, help me get to sleep will ya?"

"Sure. Count to 8."

"1, 2, …" after that I dazed off as usual, and fell into a wondrous rest.

It would only be so lucky if other people had the rest at the same time.

…

Arceus damn it, I CAN'T GET ANY SLEEP!

I've been lying in bed for hours now! I can't let anything rest in my mind! Nothing!

It's happened again! A complete repeat of the football stadium! I knew it was Zach who turned off the power because it wouldn't be anyone else. When I do confront him, _another _dark legion is there, and he calls Zach my boyfriend _again_. Even though I would like him as my boyfriend, it's still annoying to go by the wrong title. I'm sure everyone knows that.

What was only different is that Zach had saved _my _life this time… If it weren't for him I would have been dead.

I wish I could muster up the nerve to tell him… but he acts so nonchalant about everything that he probably wouldn't care.

I worry about him too much. I'm obviously falling in love with him without ever realizing. I don't think that argument with Jake could have come at a better time, otherwise I'd have to do it myself.

I'm so guilt riddled about all that I've done that I feel the only way to make it up is to fall in love with him… I'm torn up from all this.

All of a sudden, my phone starts to ring. It was John J.

"John! What the hell is it in 11 in the night!" I yelled. Why now?

"I've been thinking. Do you have a crush on Zach?"

"No. Why would you think that? And why now?"

"Zach's so hypersensitive about everything and paranoid that he might expect something like this during school. He's in the hospital anyways."

"How badly is he hurt?" I asked.

"Not bad actually. The doctors are running some tests on him apparently." I moaned.

"Knowing him he must hate tests."

"You really do like him, ha!"

"What the- I DON'T! Why do you keep thinking this!" I was getting more irritated with him. He was laid back about everything.

"Because your tone and your choice of words sells it! I know he's hard to resist to any girl."

"I know he's extremely attractive, but I'm not falling for him! Stop making random nonsense up."

"Are you sure then that you didn't go down to check on Zach for any other reasons when the power went off, _or _when he turned off the football stadium?"

"Sh-shut up!"

"Come on, quit denying it. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I may be able to set you two up."

"Alright I'm not faking a charade anymore. I just hope that you aren't."

"I know Zach as well as his brother does. Now then, tell me why you're so infatuated with him."

"Quit using such romantic words you silly Ducklett."

"Fine miss friss. Maybe you don't want my help."

"Ugh quit being so hard to negotiate with…"

"Sorry, it's a habit. Now where were we?"

"Getting on about Zach. You know, honestly, I feel more like I just want to be friends. Not sure if I am romantically attracted to him."

"Whatever suits you at this point. You're more stubborn than I am."

"Then how come you got me to confess my crush?"

"Because I have certain talents that go unnoticed by many… including the school board."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I'll let you figure this one out on your own."

"Wait!" He hung up just then. Damn it again! He's like Zach in the ways I hate him!

…

"…Zach Regaldi… continues to pester me... with this insolence…"

"Just wait lord of darkness. The Legion will have their hands on Zach's opposite surrogate in due time. We just need to wait."

"…waiting… has caused… disappointment…'

"Then what do you advise lord dark?"

"…bring me… the girl…"

"Miss Fettner?"

"…yes… the blue Gardevoir…"

"What is your request with her?"

"…she seeks… affection… with Regaldi…"

"They are not together, I assure you."

"…insolence… has been your issue… as with the legion…"

"As our insolence is judged by you, we will improve our gestures."

"…your gestures mean nothing… actions are what matter… now bring me… her." The dark shadow said her in a menacingly deep voice."

"Are you sure Miss Fettner has affections for Regaldi?"

"…check your intercept… there is news on my accuracy…"

"Yes lord. I will return to thee soon."

"…Regaldi… must be destroyed."

…

I punched the wall endlessly. The image burned in my mind. I used as many attacks as I could, though nothing would satisfy.

The poster was still there, and although torn, flaming, beaten, and stained, I could not find satisfaction.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" I yelled, picking up my dresser and throwing at the same poster. The image still stayed, and it burned in my mind. I used the most powerful moves I could think of at point blank range on the poster. The image still burned inside of me.

"YOU MADE ME THIS AND YOU'LL PAY!" I slashed at it over and over again, though it never satiated my rage. I kept hacking away at it until a noticeable dent had appeared in the wall.

I finally tore off the poster and ripped it into many pieces. I gathered them up, and incinerated them.  
>"BURN! BURN YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! YOU STARTED THIS ALL!" The pain was out of control. I couldn't control myself.<p>

"!" dad yelled from the other side of the house. "WHAT THE HELL AREYOU DOING!" He ran up and saw the massive dent.

"Zach do you realize how long this is going to take to repair? What have you been doing! I swear you're going to destroy my house."

"SCREW YOU AND YOUR RULES! I'VE PUT UP WITH MORE OF THIS THAN ANYONE ELSE! AND WHAT DO I GET! NOTHING! I GET CHASED DOWN BY THE ENTIRE FREAKING LEGION AND HAVE NO REWARD! THIS IS HELL!" I started continuously bashing on the wall. "THIS IS HELL! THIS IS HELL! HELL HELL HELL HELL HEEEEELLLLLL!" With a final smash I broke the wall completely. Totaled.

"Zach please! Calm down!"

"I WON'T CALM DOWN! NO ONE WILL EVER CHANGE HOW HORRIBLE THESE 6 MONTHS HAVE BEEN! NO ONE KNOWS!"

"Zach! I know this! Just calm down and talk about it before you destroy our house!"

"OUR! OUR!" I got so overcome by rage that I used a focus punch right into dad, and he went flying across the room. I soon realized just what sort of monster I had become. My spike flared with more darkness than it had ever been.

"Oh Arceus! Dad!" I yelled and ran to his aid. I quickly helped him up. "Are you okay!"

"Yeah I'm fine… just a bit of time to lay down will be fine…" Tears welled in my eyes.

"I'm so sorry… I need to explain so much to you…"

"Just get lay me down first…" He was hurt worse than he thought. I quickly got him onto my bed. It was the closest, even though it was riddled with sweat and blood.

"Sorry about the bed…"

"Zach… you haven't been yourself. I know these months have been the worst in your life; everyone who knows you well enough sees that. But please tell me things that I don't know…"

"Dad… this started a long time ago. It even explains how I beat Oscio, and many other things…"

…

All those years ago I knew I was different. Whether the kids at the school exploited it or not, nothing was ever correct for me.

I was the smartest child in class, and I could top anyone in the school excluding adults. People idolized this for me. I protested, but they wouldn't listen.

No they wouldn't listen at all. The school started becoming overpopulated with fights and gossip… It was horrible. I had never seen such cruelty to others in all my time.

I was becoming the center of attention whether I wanted to or not. I would have to put it with daily battles, rumors, arguments, and anything else you could think of. People were either trying to raise me up, or push me down. I hated it. I was in an eternal washing machine.

For the next 3 years I had to deal with this. I was constantly pushed around or crowded around. As you know, that was when I wanted to run away from home. It was the same time you moved me to a different school. It was the same time I learned about sex…

Everything seemed to change that one year in 4th grade. Not only did I evolve then, but I started gaining a reputation for being unusual at the new school. I liked it at first, only to realize it made me an outcast. I longed for friends like me, and I turned to Brian for help. He gave me some advice, and I made some allies. Not friends as they weren't too close to me.

I had my own posse for a time until they seemed to drift away. All of a sudden I felt very alone. Here I was, a lonely male red Kirlia without any friends.

Of course, that was when John J. mistook me for a female Kirlia and tried to hit on me. What an ironic moment of my life. We became friends after the awkward moment had passed, and things seemed to generally improve. Even though John started public school the year after, we kept in touch. We became good friends, then Brian and Rachel met.

John expected me to act like any Kirlia, and in ways he found at that every stereotype of a male Kirlia did not apply to me. Each one he tried to list did not match up. He expected maybe a few to match, but he must have been thrown off when I answered all of his questions with a nonchalant "no".

Middle school passed very uneventfully, with little to none major activity. I had made another posse in the time being, and when I heard that I was going to a public school, the posse disbanded. I didn't do it, but they turned away from me as soon as they heard. I felt a bit irritated by those actions, but they had some reason.

Of course, in 7th grade I became a Gallade. That almost gained me unconditional popularity, in which, at least in my opinion, was stupid. I officially started to lose hope in pokanity, though I held through until 9th grade.

What you don't know, is that I became an idol immediately in 9th grade. I didn't expect public school to function so differently from private social-wise. I was almost thrown off what I had to do get in. At first I thought I was going to be idolized, but it turns out they have to thoroughly investigate what I do.

Then one day, when everyone was begging me for a fight after I had beat one of the best fighters in school, a Scizor emerged from the crowd, intimidating me into a fight.

Holy hell was he good. He would have beaten me if I hadn't had been so enraged. Though he grabbed my spike; you know that I was sent to the hospital, but what you didn't know was that the Scizor was a legionnaire.

From there things became worse and worse. Why I was destroying that Scizor was out of rage because he had signaled the chain of events that now won't stop. That is why I was breaking down.

…

"Zach… that was important for you to tell me."

"I know… It's just so hard…" I moaned and cried, leaning on my dad's shoulders. "I can't put up with this. It's driving me insane."

"Have faith and hope Zach. Something good has to come out of all this can't it? I remember the saying that every action has a reaction. That may not just apply to physics. Can't that also apply to life?" I looked up at dad.

"I hope you're right dad. Because if not, I may not be able to bear the events coming for me. With the attack today, January was peaceful. Now… it's back into reality."

"Well… Reality can't be so bad Zach." He patted me on the back. Reality isn't bad. What I'm afraid of is how bad reality can get.

That was would be waiting right around the corner…

Literally.

…

Wow. I think that is probably the most unfair cliffhanger I have made in the history of this series.

Well this took a while, and I don't think I took a long enough break. I'm still tired out and hadn't posted anything in ages. At least this is done now.

I started a new story that isn't Fanfiction, so I will be doing that for the time being. I've also been much more majorly occupied with school and braces, as well as games like TF2, Skyrim, and Spiral Knights for that matter. (Why does everybody ignore Spiral Knights?)

Anyways I will be taking a break if you couldn't tell. So with this line-up, I'm going to lay out a schedule.

#1: Take a break. Damn I'm being overworked.

#2: Catch on my reserve story. This should un-stale my mind.

#3: Work on new story because it's fun.

#4: Work on an old story that I ignored, but want to continue.

#5: Moar break necessary. I am worn out as hell, and busy as hell.

#6: Work on TF2 story. I really like how it's coming along, and because of the way I devised it, I make two chapters instead of one. That's just how it'll work.

#7: Back to new story. Tis a fun story to write.

#8: FINALLY back to this. Yeah sorry, chapter 12 is going to be a LOOONG time away.

#9: TF2 story twice in a row.

#10: The order then reverts to this: New Story, Zach's Years, TF2 Story, New story and repeat with the reserve story occasionally butting in, as well as the old story sometimes.

There is nothing else to go over, so review/favorite/add to alert list to find out more.

Happy reading and writing ladies and or gents.

~DTH~


	12. Chapter 12, Just a Test

Zach's Years: Freshman. A Pokémon Fanfiction. Chapter 12, Just a Test.

Author's Note: I'm back!

This took a bit, mainly because my mind was working a bit slower. Plus I've been very busy. At least this chapter is here. I'll probably do some other stories and work on chapter 13.

Nothing else important. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: OH GUESS WHAT! I JUST FOUND OUT…**

**THAT I DON'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO POKEMON. That shouldn't be a surprise.**

…

_Conversation between two bandits. Location: ? Time: ?_

"_Oh god no, please, no please. I didn't think it would get this bad."_

"_Of course you didn't. That's why you came."_

…

We heard a knock on our door. Dad immediately went up to see what the ruckus was about. Why so late at night? I stayed in bed, but I listened in on their conversation.

"What is it at this hour?" dad asked.

"We have a message from the hall of figureheads. You are to report to Terra City immediately."

"What! Why? Why all of a sudden?"

"I do not know. I am just a mere messenger. Your family is welcome to come, and Zach must be occupied."

"No- Not this shit with Zach again. We're not going."

"Fine. Enjoy your life being tracked down and interrogated by force." Dad was thinking something.

"Give me that!" He probably swiped something from the messenger's hands. "Tickets pre-paid? By who?"

"The new Aron figurehead. Kevin Tin."

"Ah yes. I forgot that A.J. Ron had died."

"I'll be leaving now. Have a good night." The messenger then left. Dad came back into my room. He had a letter.

"This is for you Zach." He handed it to me, and I opened it up. It was written in very elegant writing.

_Dear Regaldi Family,_

_Some of the other figureheads have decided that we need to see Zach Regaldi in the hall of figureheads as soon as possible, and we have received consent from the rest of the figureheads. Your trip has been pre-paid with special escorts and everything else you will find. We have set you a room in the La Toíre _(And extremely high class hotel)_. We have received information that distinguishes your son from the rest, and we would like to test him with some of the higher class technology stationed here in Terra City._

_If you have any objections we would be more than obliged to listen and follow your instructions, as long as we are allowed to run tests on Zach. The other figureheads and I hope for your complete coordination, and hope to see you in the hall as soon as you can. Have a good day._

(It was extremely hard to read this) _Kevin Tin._

"Uh… Read this dad." I gave the letter to him and he read it over.

"Huh. Well I guess this was a bit more convenient than expected. He also left tickets for three days from now. Airplane tickets."

"He probably wants some time for us to get ready to go… How will we tell mom and Brian?"

"Leave that to me. I'd be more worried on what your friends will think of this." I nodded.

"I need to be alone for a bit dad. I'm tired out."

"Sure thing. Get some good sleep Zach." He walked out of my room and went back to his room.

I had a bit of trouble sleeping. I had a pit in my stomach that something wasn't right about all this. Figureheads never do much on short notice. Especially the urgency in the messenger's tone as well as the feeling that I got from the letter sells it to me.

Like I said; I'm afraid of how bad reality can get. Not how bad reality is.

…

"What the hell? You're leaving? Again?" John asked.

"Yes; I have no idea why. Last night some person told my dad that Kevin Tin needed to run tests on me. Just suddenly," I answered.

"That's insane. What would someone like him ever need to do with you?" Nihar asked.

"No clue… In the middle of the freaking night too. I have to leave in a few days too; WHY WHEN I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" I exclaimed.

"Damn, I feel sorry for you. Especially how much you've been hurt," John sympathized.

I had just told John and Nihar the news, and they were my best friends at the school. They would be able to safely send the message. Some people I didn't feel could accurately notify everyone without starting some sort of conspiracy. This is considering that Zach Regaldi, was leaving school mysteriously, _AGAIN_. I've gained a reputation for being the most inconspicuous badass at school. That's why I'm so popular. I'm popular since everyone wants to know what's behind my disappearances. That's surely not the only reason, but one of the major factors.

I am pretty mad though about all this glory I've been getting. Take away the skin and you'd have a smart Gallade. That's about it, excluding the random vanishings. I guess though getting kidnapped abruptly in the middle of the hall can really do something to a **teenager**. It's outrageous for someone so young.

In this year alone, I have been nearly killed, several times; kidnapped, dropped three miles out of the air in a helicopter, thrown into the sky and parachuted into Vosa Nové, avoided falling from a skyscraper, SHOT RIGHT NEXT TO (its noticeable that the pain spurred here) THE FUCKING SPIKE, soaked inside an ungodly tempest, had every single bone in my body reduced to piles of dust, and forced to drink no more than a gallon a day; a person uses roughly 102 gallons of water a day! I was even hunted down at school, and got my ass kicked just yesterday. I'm feeling like I've been through way too much, and that I need a break, but NO. I have to go to this place so I won't be counted as a refugee.

I tell you, I've had enough of my life already, but now apparently I need to be run over "tests" which sounds WAY to freaky. I don't trust the new figurehead. I'll take this test but if it gets horrible I demand some help and some intervention of some sort.

That said, John just _had _to apparently spoil it to Alexis. I have no idea why, and I certainly didn't like his choice. So reasonably, during renegade period, I went to go train with Kyle fighting. He's actually an extremely good fighter and is ignored quite often. He's helping me adapt to moves that I am susceptible to e.g. shadow ball. I've faced down a Dusclops and that attack nearly meant my loss; I won merely due to him being overconfident.

While in the middle of the fight, Alexis walks into the gym, and yanks me away as me and Kyle were fighting.

"Really. Going away again. This isn't bullshit is it?" she asked, sounding very full of disbelief.

"I swear," I told her.

"Wait what's this?" Kyle asked.

"Zach is leaving again... On behalf of Kevin Tin," Alexis told him.

"Oh yeah, the new Aron figurehead since Ron was assassinated. Why?" Kyle asked.

"No idea. I've had enough of this though. So much has happened this year."

"Uh, Zach. I get the feeling sometimes that you're not telling me things that I should know," Kyle said. I rolled my eyes.

"There's nothing else to know. What's out there stands." I saw something click in his eyes.

"No. You're lying." I got confused… What the hell just happened? "Something with the Dark Legion is interfering with your life; getting kidnapped and that fight with that Scizor at the beginning of the year. You're hiding something."

"Well, I'll tell you this if you tell me one thing. How did you know I was lying? It's hard to get any truth out of me."

"I'm a lot smarter than you'd expect. Should we continue with our match?" I was a bit confused, but nodded. I went at him with a quick attack and used the momentum for a hammer arm. He swirled around and used cut on me. I turned around and deflect the attack, but I didn't expect a poison jab from behind. He picked me up, tossed me in the air, and used shadow ball. I was defeated far easier than I expected. Alexis stood in awe. "That's enough."

"Holy hell… I did not see that. How'd you do all that?"

"First off, my question?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright fine. Yes, the Dark Legion is giving me a horrible time. First that fight, then kidnapped. What they didn't tell you is that they actually brought me into a helicopter and attempted to smuggle me over into Legion territory. I managed to break free at the cost of falling three miles into the ground. (Kyle was a bit revolted at what he heard) I recovered and then the school was destroyed. That actually sent me flying to Vosa Nové, in where I had to manage to escape despite the poverty and corruption there. After that, you probably heard about the power-outage and the shooting at the football game. I _was _on vacation after that, but the truth was that I had turned off the power, and Alexis over here pinned me to the ground. (Alexis had an ashamed look when I mentioned the power being cut off) Just then, the Legionnaire I-"

"Legionnaire? Don't you mean Legion?"

"What? There's a difference?" I asked. Weren't they the same thing.

"No no no no, there's a massive difference. Not many people know this, but you know Cortia City right? And you know how it was built on a burial ground?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Legions originally had control, until it seceded and became Avenger. The truth is that a group of people believed in Queen Taylor, a highly influential Swampert. She lead a rebellion and managed to break off and set up base in Cortia City, known as the Cortia Hold."

"That… Cortia Hold… I thought it was just a rumor."

"It's true. The group is small and powerless, but they say there's some big golem there. And not the pokemon."

"A statue?"

"I guess. The point is that there is a major difference between the Legionnaires and the Legion. The Legionnaire's intentions though are very unclear. Now, continue."

"Well, the Legion appeared and shot me right next to my spike; at the time guns weren't well-known, if you remember."

"Right. But I actually heard of these since my dad works for the hall."

"Oh cool. Well, I was sent to the hospital, then vacation, and went to Hontia. However, in that big storm that you heard, I was injured and that was why I had that metal skeleton. Remember? And that's it by the way. All you need." Kyle nodded.

"I do remember that. You got it removed quickly though. Well, thanks for the information. I'll probably give you an easier time than I have in the past." Kyle nodded.

"But yeah. I'm nervous; something tells me that nothing good can come out of these 'tests' that they want to do on me. Sounds way too suspicious."

"Any downsides?" Kyle asked.

"He'll be treated as a criminal if he doesn't show up for some law reason," Alexis answered. I painfully nodded.

"Man… Figureheads have too much power nowadays. I hate politics…" Kyle was a very rebellious kid. Always chewed gum, messed around, had trouble following directions, and much more. He's at least a joy to have around when not getting on anyone's nerves.

The rest of the period went by restlessly, and getting back home wasn't that enjoyable since our bus broke down. I had to run home, but for me, that isn't too much of a problem.

"Zach, are you there? Moltres needs to see you," Vic said when I was trying to sleep that night.

"What the hell, in the middle of the night? You know it's near impossible to get back there."

"… Actually, I can teleport you to very certain locations. This can be counted as one, and since you're always home, I can teleport you back."

"Wait- FREAKING TELEPORTATION! HOLY ARCEUS THAT'S COOL! DO IT!" All of a sudden, I felt some aura surround me and I saw my body glow. Soon I was in the marvelously gorgeous sanctuary that I had only been in once before. I saw Vic standing atop a stone spire.

"Ah there you are. Moltres is out of his den for the night. He is at the main terrace."

"This place is organized?"

"Think of it as a natural neighborhood for fire types." I followed Vic, and I could soon see the massive flaming bird a top a spire telling a story to the pokemon in his native language.

"…Gon ved, sej braka uvu ou tunah fole, pleye hyus sel sowr vidu tunah nusra voat. (…but then, he leapt out of the flames, and stuck his sword into the monster's throat.) Pleye ved- Oh! Thoi Regaldi! Croiu lu hae nzu. (And then- Oh! Sir Regaldi! I need to see you.) *To Audience* Loón, veel nio bel deu zeg dialga. (Sorry, we will pick up next time)"

"Barvé Moltres. Qeuzu? (Hello Moltres. How are you?)"

"Parloe. (Fine) I must speak to you with concern on the súvois." I nodded, and he flew off to his cavern. I arrived and he was resting on his spire. "As you know, the súvois can only be taught to a blessed from the grandest of the pokemon, or the Prelc as we call them. I am one of these Prelc; the Prelc of fole. Vic had urged me of giving you the chance to learn the fole súvois."

"Indeed, it would be a wondrous súvois to learn."

"I find only one issue that may be a major obstruction. You are too… Olocquea. (Distracted)"

"Olocquea… Oh… really?"

"Yes. Vic did a thorough analysis of your brain activity, and it has been off the charts. In order to even start to work on a new súvois, there must be no interferences and as little stress as possible. The majority of blessed tried what you are trying, and none learned a new soul unless they had the precautions I had just listed."

"So… If I get everything settled and I have less stress… I can learn the fole súvois?"

"Most likely. However, it is easily one of the most advanced súvois, and at such a young age, your mind may be too incompetent in order to understand the complexity of the fole súvois; it is the most challenging of the súvois to learn."

"Crontozis… Is there anything else?"

"Yoi. I had a lengthy gáerva with Articuno. (Gáerva = Talk) He is much like me, only the Prelc of ícé (ice… just in case someone didn't understand). Anyways, he suggested that he may try to assist on the ícé súvois. That would only depend on everything currently going on. As I said earlier, stress and complications are major factors to success."

"Actually, I've heard of a powerful beast in the heart of Cortia City. It's unknown, but apparently one of a kind. Might it be a Prelc?"

"Certainly one that I don't know of. Many of the Prelc are wonderers nowadays. Out of the 16 Prelc, only 5 of us stay in one spot. Vic, Terrakion, Virizion, Cobalion, and I are the only people stationary. The other Prelc are all moving about."

"Hold on, the rest of these Prelc that you listed, excluding Vic, all end with 'ion'. Is there something special about that?"

"Why yes. They are the three guardians of tranquility. Thousands of years ago, fire and death rained upon the world, and the three were there to save it all. Terrakion has the might of a thousand Machamps, Virizion has the speed of dozens of Accelgors, and Cobalion is the wisest of all the pokemon. It is said that he is so wise that any unruly pokemon in his glare becomes tame."

"Wow… Which kind of Prelc are they?"

"Terrakion is the rook (rock) Prelc, Virizion is the antuur (nature) Prelc, and Cobalion is the fuine (fighting) Prelc. However, I am unsure of where they are stationed."

"Would they be willing to educate a blessed?"

"Possibly. Educating a blessed on a súvois, unlike the jonsé, takes much cooperation, effort, and time between the Prelc and Blessed. And the three of them have grown irritable to no one but the Qualc (non-Prelc legendaries). However, they may abide to a blessed, nonetheless by the blessed of the elder Victini."

"Like with Raikou, he had a bit of trouble opening up until Vic came. Perhaps the same may work."

"Everything is possible. Virizion is the kindest, and Terrakion is probably the wrong one to make friends with. Cobalion becomes mad whenever interrupted from meditation. You may want to seek outside effort though if you are looking for the Pey Targues ou Hakenva. (3 guards of the world. Hakenva is what the legendaries call the world)"

"It seems our time is up. Sorry to end the conversation abruptly, but I have to leave. Enshés Moltres."

"Enshés thoi Regaldi." Vic soon teleported me back into my room.

"Was your gáerva pleasing?" Vic asked.

"Yes it was. He set a few things straight for me. First off, he said I was too… uh… the word was… Olocquea, right. I'm too olocquea right now."

"Yes… I assume he informed of how much tranquility is necessary to even try to learn a new súvois."

"Indeed. He also informed me of another Prelc named Articuno. Who is he?"

"He is much like Moltres except with ice. His wings and tail are followed by brisk snowflakes and coldness. He is migratory, and always moves to where it's coldest. He is the Prelc of ícé."

"Yes. He also told me of the Pey Targues ou Hakenva. Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion."

"You were correctly informed. I assume Moltres told you which kind of Prelc they were."

"Yes… He also told me the story behind them. Do you have any clue to where they are?"

"No, but I know someone who might."

"Oh, really? Is he a Qualc?"

"She. The crescent pokemon, Cresselia."

"Okay… What kind of Qualc is she? And is she migratory?"

"Migratory is dependent. She is a psychíís Qualc. She lives on a deserted island out in the ocean called Full-Moon Island."

"She sounds unique… Perhaps she is wise enough to teach a jonsé?"

"Not quite. She is adept in mentality; in fact I had taught it to her. It would be pointless to try and learn from her."

"By the way, who is the telekinesis Prelc?"

"A very unusual pokemon named Deoxys. He is said to have come from another world, but is definitely the most adept in the telekinesis súvois."

"Okay, to get back on topic, where is this full moon island?"

"Aye. We may want to contact an oceanographer for that."

"I think I know one. I'll try to contact him. He's a Toxicroak that seems to like to be out at sea. And, the Elder ocean and the Goldengleam ocean is very close on this isthmus. Only about an hour and a half to both sides from Heidelberg." The Toxicroak is an old man whose name is Marcus. He's assisted in designing copious amounts of maps; whether geographical, political, elevation, specialty, and even maps that mark spots for mining and such. However, he likes to just casually rest in his home, as he is 102 years old. However, the "very old" age for most pokemon is 110-120. The lowest lived pokemon will live to be about 140 years old. The oldest to 200.

"Yes, please do so. Time is of the essence, as the tests are in a few days."

"Yes sir. I can manage to fake another sickness." With that, I started to mentally ill myself. I somehow have I way to make a sickness more convincing and eventually get horrible by just altering my train of thought. It seems nonsensical, but it's completely legitimate.

With that, I started to feel the horrible pains overcome, and my spike started to flare up. It is unpleasant, but is needed to make everything worthwhile.

…

After mom and dad had cleared off, I knew that I would only have a few hours before mom would come back. Without hesitation, I got on my running shoes, and brought a belt with a water bottle with ice in it. When I get tired from running, I can drink it again since it melted. The trip to Marcus' house is about 49 minutes running at the speed I run.

Once clear, I started to jog off. Eventually I got to the highway. Instead of seeming stupid and run in the divider, I just jogged outside of the line. At a steady 20 mph, it was the easiest way to get there without arousing suspicion.

I was winded by the time I arrived, but nonetheless I arrived at his house. I caught my breath and waited a few minutes, and then rang his doorbell.

"Ah hold it ya darn whipper snapper. Who could it be at this time of the day?" he grunted. Eventually he trudged his way to the door. When he opened the door up, I saw a rugged, old Toxicroak with a deflated throat (which was regular for Toxicroak as they age) and a cane in hand. "Honestly… I swear these days the world gets crazier and crazier. First this crazy shooting, and then some darned hurricane happens and then a jailbreak. Even when Ukuli was still crazy in power this shit didn't happen. What are you here for sonny?"

"I'm here for some help from you. Perhaps you have some old ocean mappings with you?"

"Ocean maps? Why do ya need them?"

"I need to brush up on some pieces of the oceans. I also want to see if I can learn about some lone islands."

"Eh perhaps. Why are you here, and, eh, what's with the skin?"

"It's a defect. What I explained earlier is why I'm here."

"Well, I guess. Come in, you look tired." I came into his house, and there were several old relics preserved and in fine condition. It was very well-organized and pristine. He brought me upstairs, and then to a room. There was a desk, and maps posted everywhere along the walls.

"What kind of map are you looking for? Geo? Politic? Special?"

"Preferably a geographical."

"Which ocean?"

"One of each. I don't suppose that you have a catalog of each island for these oceans?"

"The lists? Let me print them off." There were 5 oceans. Elder, Goldengleam, Plotic, Serenity, and Dreamer. Elder was the largest, and Plotic the smallest. The size, going from least to greatest, is Plotic, Goldengleam, Serenity, Dreamer, and then Elder. Plotic is VERY small, Goldengleam small, Serentiy big, Dreamer Massive, and Elder just slightly more massive than Dreamer. Soon he came back with scrolls as large as the desks. "I will get the lists in a bit. May take a bit of time."

I soon started looking through these oceans. Each one had several chains and clusters of island. Goldengleam with the least, and Serenity with the most. Plotic had almost a ring of islands, and Dreamer was just a dis-organized scatter. Elder had a curving line of islands. I have heard of these islands, called the Elder Keyes (LOLOLOL). (Cookie to whoever got he Keyes joke)

There were many unique islands. I could understand why oceanography is a difficult business. Some islands were flat, and some were nearly as tall as where I was standing. Others nearly connected with each other, and there were some that formed very precise shapes.

Eventually, Marcus came with the lists. I immediately scanned them. Overall, I think I counted over 3000 islands altogether.

Of course, that didn't matter, as I found two islands that, when fit together, form a perfect circle. One was a crescent, and the other was the shape to be necessary to make a circle. It was in the dreamer ocean, and about 132 miles out from land. To put that in perspective, not very far. I scanned the list and found two islands that were marked the same way as the two islands were on the map.

Their names were Delta and Beta islands. Beta was the crescent.

"Uh, excuse me, is there anything special with these two islands?"

"Why yes! The Delta and Beta islands. They are very weird; floating adrift but never changing distance from each other. They move in a specific crescent pattern along the Dreamer ocean. I believe that, every full moon, the islands come together. Right now it's along this way." He sketched a crescent on the map. He marked a spot that was near the bottom of the point of the shape. The bottom point was actually not very far off from land; probably only about 60 miles. However, this was a massive stretch, because the Dreamer ocean is so large; there is hardly any difference in size between the Dreamer and Elder oceans.

"Has anyone found a theory when they will reach their bottom apex?"

"Yes actually. Measuring the rate at which they move, March 1st is when the two islands shall reach their apex. They make a lap every 450 days without exception. It's quite paranormal really. I believe this year is also special, as they should be together that night." Vic was just as interested as I was.

"I see. This has been very enriching. Thank you exceptionally for sharing your knowledge. Have a good day."

"You too sonny. Enjoy your trip to the islands if you plan to go there. No one has ever set foot there!"

"No one has set foot on that island other than Cresselia. I wonder why, even if they predicted where to go," Vic noted.

"Wait. One last question. How come no one has gotten onto the islands?" I asked Marcus.

"More unusual facts behind that. Although it is clear that something is there, as the water is distorted, no one can physically collide where they are. Some people think it's a myth. Me? I think not," he answered.

"Okay thank you." After that I left.

"That's unusual. I've seen that island. Perhaps only Qualc and Blessed are allowed to see the island itself?"

"Maybe. We'll find out March 1st."

"Wait, what?"

"The spot where that lower apex is near the city Partonetta. Its relative population to Cortia City, so decently accompanied with people."

"I see. I assume there must be something about this related to the islands, no?"

"Well, I hear on the news that every year some people go out to see this island the day that it is there. It takes them about an hour or two to reach the spot, but they want to gaze at the spectacle. Of course, they leave to see this at the end of March. We will be leaving ahead of time."

"I see. Hopefully no cataclysmic storms come our way, or a need for a jail break."

"Oh ha ha. Humor me more will you?"

"Of course. At least I'm willing to abide to this. I have not talked with Cresselia in centuries. It will be nice to see her again."

"Also, I heard a thunderstorm is coming this Sunday. I think I should talk to Raikou."

"That sounds like a plan. Now all we have to do is just wait and let the tide flow." Where was the tide going to bring me though? That was why I was feeling more anxious and paranoid on the run home.

…

"Mr. Tin? You wanted to see me sir?" the engineer asked.

"Ah yes. As I understand, you are the head of programming on the assignment I gave you. How is progress?"

"It is working fine. Utilizing that virtual reality device we obtained, your testing chamber is nearly complete. We followed all that you had assigned." The Aggron smiled.

"Thank you. When is the projected finish time?"

"By tomorrow. A bit of time will be needed to optimize it for different people, but that will be a short amount of time."

"Perfect. I appreciate your assistance. You will all be paid wealthily."

"Yes sir. Just what are you planning to use this chamber for?"

"That is between me and the other figureheads. Now then, I'd like to see a bit of the progress on the chamber myself." The Aggron left his post and followed the Mothim to the large arena.

"The main podium is there, and the testing devices are mounted about the walls. Water and terrain is supplied on the ground, as well as obstacles such as rocks, cliffs, and other physically testing procedures. All accorded to your guidelines." He viewed the many nefarious traps and challenging devices installed to maximize someone's abilities.

"Well, well. I am impressed. Now then, should anything else be explained?"

"No sir."

"Fine then. Make your final adjustments. I will be in my office, and don't disturb me unless it's important. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now I have some important business to talk out with the rest of the figureheads. Our first test subject will be here in two days, and we must discuss on how to use the technology you have implemented. You should feel proud; you're doing extraordinary work for the figureheads of the avengers."

…

"Zach, I know you're reluctant but it's worse if you don't go. So just, come on, mom and Brian are already in the car," dad called at me. I still was slouched in my bed.

"Just a bit more time. I need to get a bit of rest," I told him.

"You can rest in the car. We have to catch our plane in an hour. So just get up or I'll carry you there."

"Carry me then." Dad rolled his eyes, and picked me up. I didn't feel like moving. I was extremely tired. In fact, that entire conversation was just me moaning to him. Even though it was 10:00, it felt like 5:00 in the morning. I moaned and I told him to put me down so I could walk. No point trying; I can't fall asleep in the car at all. At least the airport in Heidelberg is only about 23 minutes away. Sometimes at night I hear planes fly by pretty often. (I'm pretty sure anyone living near an airport knows what that is like)

The slow ride was mainly noisy due to my revealing of my plan to head to Partonetta.

"So I have another thing that I need to go. Remember Hontia? It will be nothing like that. No storms, nothing else. What I need to do there, is sail out to sea on March 1st. An island will appear just then about 70 miles off of Partonetta." There was an awkward silence. "Any questions?"

"Uh, YEAH! Why all of a sudden?" Brian asked.

"Because today is February 17th and this needs to be dealt with ahead of time. I feel a bit guilty for not explaining anything behind Hontia, so I want to get it out of the way now."

"I'm not sure Zach. Partonetta isn't the brightest of places. Are you sure?" dad asked.

"Yes. I need to go there for a similar reason with Hontia."

"Another of these super things?" mom asked.

"Yes, but I need this to _find _another super pokemon. 3 actually."

"Zach, even with Hontia, it's hard to believe some of this," dad said.

"Well do you want to know what I was doing yesterday?" Mom and Brian stared at me, with a suspicious look. "Okay. I went to Marcus Tallory's house to look at some ocean maps. There are two islands that can only be seen by their indents in the oceans. Islands Delta and Beta. On full moons they come together. March 1st is a full moon, and it will be the closest to land that night. Now is everything explained?"

"Yes, but you faked sickness! I can't believe it Zach!" dad yelled.

"Yes, but it was important. Now can I-"

"NO! I won't allow-" dad tried to say until mom cut him off.

"Max, we're going to Partonetta and renting a motor boat."

"What…?" Brian asked.

"Zach has this under control. There won't be any storms, and you saw how important it was to him to go to Hontia. If not I'll buy the tickets for me and him and just fly out there. Just the two of us." It was silent after that. I didn't expect mom to stand up for me.

"Megan… You can't be serious," dad said.

"I am serious! I will go with him and go there March 1st, and sail out with him."

"If you are mom," Brian said. "I'm coming with you. I won't leave Zach alone with whatever he comes through." I smiled. Dad got a bit mad.

"Fine. Though if this is a bust, it's your fault Zach." After that the ride became silent. Dad was stern through everything. Even the plane ride.

Once in Terra City, it felt all too familiar. The pain of my spike was unusually more aggravating as the skyscrapers welcomed me from below. Looking out my window, I rubbed my spike.

"Spike hurting?" Brian asked. I moaned.

"Yeah… It's all coming back to me."

"Ugh… I was scared for you when you came here." He pat me on the shoulder. "I feel a bit entitled to help you sometimes." I looked at him.

"Thanks. I could use all the help I need."

As we landed, a limousine driver was waiting at the exit. A handsomely dressed Hitmonchan.

"Hello Regaldi family. I have your luggage, and I will take you to our limousine. You will be heading to the hall." I nodded. We followed to him to the exit of the airport, and we saw the limousine stretched out across the street. The chilling air was interesting. Terra City is usually cold, but it was unusually colder than usual for this time of the year. Late February is when things would start becoming hotter.

It didn't matter. Dad still held up his indignant attitude throughout the entire limo ride. The rest of kept quiet without saying anything.

The hall of representatives was the grandest building every designed. Back in the day when the Brotherhood existed, this hall was more packed than anything you could ever imagine. People swarming everywhere, and the figureheads working tirelessly on countless issues. We were heading there now, but today it is almost empty with the exclusion of many figureheads.

We were guided to the offices; man, were there a lot. There were 279 offices in all… Wow. One for each family (that we knew existed). He eventually directed us to a 7th floor, and in the middle we saw an office labeled, "K. TIN OFFICE. DO NOT ENTER UNLESS IMPORTANT." The guide knocked on the door.

"What is it?" the Aggron yelled from behind the door.

"The Regaldis are here, sir."

"Ah great. Send them in." There was a click, and the guide opened the door. We saw the Aggron on the computer, most likely writing a report.

"Hello, Regaldi family. I have heard much of you from the rest of the figureheads. However, I don't know the exact details. Please, sit down. Such a long journey from Heidelberg must have taken some time," he greeted us.

"It is an honor to meet you Mr. Tin," I said.

"As much as it is to you. I would like to talk about these tests. For one, a protective layer will be sealed around your body. You shall not experience any pain, and your spike will be more heavily protected. Two, these tests are going to monitor your physical and mental ability. Many monitors will be attached to you. They may be a bit uncomfortable, but I convinced the doctors not to attach any to your spike. This is considering that you were shot near there." The pain flared from the last two comments, and I grunted a bit.

"He prefers not to talk about it," dad told him.

"Yes Mr. Regaldi. Anyhow, lastly, this is an intense experience. Zach should definitely eat before this test, as well as be well-hydrated and ready. I know it must be a bit distressing to come here on short notice, but I hope that he will be in good condition for the test. The scientists were very stern about that."

"Alright. You heard the man. Zach what do you want?" dad asked me. I thought a bit; I felt that I could eat a few pounds of hamburgers, but I said I would be content with a pizza topped with pepperoni and sausage. I also have a natural liking for spicy foods, so I asked for it doused in red chili flakes. Kevin had it sent to his cooks, and in about 20 minutes the large platter came, with water and other complementary sides such as a salad.

I wolfed it down, eating half of the pizza. Everyone was impressed with my appetite. I was much hungrier than usual.

"You look satisfied. If you please, come with me. The rest of you are free to do what you want." Mom and Brian left to go to the La Toíre. Dad said he would watch the test while Kevin gets reports from the scientists.

As soon as I knew it, I was in an armory like room, with a chest pad on, leggings, a helmet, goggles, and boots. I felt like an army commander dressed in all this. The coating they gave me was tight, but well-fit. I was glad it would keep me out of harm's way. I was told to head over to the podium in the center. I did so, and suddenly Kevin's voice appeared in the room.

"Can you hear me Zach?" he asked. I saw dad looking at me. I nodded at him. Dad turned his head and told Kevin the answer. "Good. You have a microphone that can be used when not testing. It's installed in your helmet." I just saw the little ball at the corner of my head. "Alright, for the first test, you need to observe the rocks and spot as many small patterns as you can."

"What are they for?" I asked.

"You will need to try and re-draw them as best as you can while after they have gone. Take notes. Engaging in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." All of a sudden the lights dimmed and several patterns appeared on the rocky side of the room. I looked and saw several wavy blocky and studded designs. There were probably 50, but I could only remember about 7.

"Okay. A pad is coming down from the ceiling. Grab hold and try to re-sketch the patterns. Press the blue 'OK' button once you're done. Press the red 'FINISH' button if you can't remember any more. I started trying to draw them as well as I could. The first 6 I could do easily, and I had to think of the next 3 a bit harder. I soon tried to guess another two, and from there on I couldn't remember it all, so I finished.

"Okay well-done. There will be an intermission. Give about a minute. I'm lowering the podium for-" and all of a sudden the podium snapped, and it soon let gravity control it. I was suddenly in midair. I was caught off guard and fell a good twenty feet. I landed on my feet, but that REALLY hurt. "Oh gosh I am so sorry. Mechanics! The podium is broken!" All of a sudden, a team of mechanics and a doctor ran up to me and started to fix the podium. My legs felt a bit stiff and sore. I told him that I didn't want to walk on them for a bit. He placed some ice pads on them, and I could feel them becoming better slowly. Soon my dad and Kevin rushed in.

"Damn it Kevin! Stop these tests now before they get worse!"

"No. This was a mere bug. We've tested each one and there will be no errors. Trust me, once Zach says he is ready to go, we will head on to the next test."

"How many more tests are there?" I asked.

"3. Just tell the scientists once you are done." Soon the engineers came back. One engineer told Kevin that it was fixed. He then left and headed back to his office. After about 10 minutes I felt better, so I told the doctors to let me get back to the podium. The covering felt a bit looser, but not to the extent that there would be an issue.

"Next up, you will be in this dome." All of a sudden, a glass dome appears around this. "This will secure that you do not run away. We are going to have large items thrown at you from different directions."

"WHAT!" There was nothing about this!

"Do not fear! They are out of range and you are protected. Just make sure not to panic and observe the materials fly by. Tell me what you colors and objects you see on them as they come by.

Engaging in 5-" and it cuts off and starts there. "Blast it all! We're doing it now!" I panicked immediately, and bashed into the glass as soon as the first rock was hurled at me by the cliff. My heart raced, and I ignored the thing that was on it, and broke the glass dome. "Alright, the test is working regularly now. Your covering will protect you from any items that appear to come towards you." I was delusional, and I'm not sure if those were the words he said. I couldn't focus on anything. All of a sudden, things started to pelt me. The covering wasn't helping. They were small paint balls and rubber pellets, and they stung when they hit. I started to freak out. My dad was yelling. He must have been telling Kevin to stop.

The tests pursued. Soon lights started to illuminate the room in vibrant confusing colors. My eyes started to hurt, and my head and body was starting to hurt in a whole new way I couldn't imagine.

The last test must have triggered, and objects started to fly around me. Pokemon of different types appeared in the walls, and noises were being plaid through headphones in the helmet.

It was beginning to hurt my head. My brain started to pulsate.

"ZACH! ZACH!" Vic yelled in my mind. That's all I can remember. My head was spinning and my thought process was too unorganized to even consider thinking about Vic. Soon I heard glass breaking.

"LOOK! ? HE'S ? BY THE ?" I have no idea what happened after that. My world revolved around me while I laid half-conscious on the podium. I couldn't move my body at all. My mind could think and that was it. Soon the power was killed. The lights were dimmed, my headset stopped working, and the flying objects stopped.

My head limped to the side, and I could see my dad and Kevin fighting each other. The fight looked rough, and it was clear that there was no holding back. After countless blows to each other, my dad used brick break and easily bested Kevin. Soon security came in, and wrestled dad and got him to bend over using a taser and pepper spray. He was handcuffed and brought off. Soon I was taken down from the podium, and I was carelessly picked up by the same guards and whisked off to an ambulance. Just what had gone so suddenly wrong with this day…

…

Mom and I were in the La Toíre enjoying a smoothie while watching television. We were bored, and were awaiting Zach's return. It was very luxurious in these rooms. We had pre-paid room service and had pool access and anything else our hearts' desired.

All of a sudden, the door was knocked over, and several policemen ran in. Mom screamed.

"Woah! What's the problem?" I asked the officers.

"You're to come with us. Don't ask questions." Mom and I exchanged frightened looks. It had to be revolved around Zach.

We followed their order, and they put us in one of 5 police cars. There were separate lanes in the city for important vehicles like ambulances and other automobiles like fire trucks. We were whisked away to the main hospital, and one of the officers brought us in while the rest head in the direction of the Terra City jail.

"Hello nurse. We are here to see Zach Regaldi."

"Floor 23, room 4," the nurse responded. That was alarming enough that Zach was in the hospital. What did these trials do to him? I already started getting a pit in my stomach.

On our way, a doctor stopped us.

"You must be here to see Zach. Come with me. He is not conscious," he warned. My breath started to accelerate… Mom started becoming anxious.

"Where's my husband!" she asked.

"He is dealing with other matters right now," the officer told her. She accepted the answer, but still was dangerously on edge due to the situation. We were brought to the 23rd floor. The view was tremendous, as towers pierced the sky. Amazingly, this wasn't that high. This hospital has 65 floors. We were brought over to room 4, and gazed in. Zach was throbbing in his bed.

"He's paralyzed mentally. Very unstable right now," the doctor told us.

"Did something hit his spike?" I asked.

"No. His mind could not comprehend the amount of fright and objects happening at once… Not anyone would have been able to do so. The tests were over extended. I personally go against all this…"

"Wait, there's a debate?"

"Yes. Your father saw Zach being hurt, and demanded Kevin Tin to stop. Kevin resisted, and Zach started to visibly suffer. He threatened Kevin, and Kevin agreed to a fight. Your dad won, but guards came in and put him into submission. He's in jail right now." Mom couldn't comprehend.

"No- No that's not possible. He wouldn't ever do that… No… NO!" Mom ran away, bitter tears forming in her eyes. The doctor was noticeably depressed. This entire situation vexed me quite hard. I looked into Zach's unconscious distressed eyes. I knew he was still there, but it hurt to see him in such pain.

"How long will it take to recover?" I asked.

"His physical condition may take a very long amount of time to come back to what he had. In order to function again will probably take about 4 days. He will be here for the mean time." I threw my head back.

"Ugh… I knew there was something wrong with all this."

"You had good intentions. I'm afraid Kevin tried too hard. Your dad is in jail; you may want to see him." I nodded. I had my V pendant. I sneaked it into Zach's pocket. It's a symbol that Zach gave me a long time ago; back when he was an Asphynxian.

When he was an Asphynxian...

…

Asphynxia is a morbidly strong version of autism and down syndrome. It's potently disturbing and powerful. An opposite version exists called Desphynxia. Desphynxia is a syndrome often found in people that have very logical thoughts, and is found commonly in geniuses. It is often born into infancy or even during fetal development. Some theories say that it's developed in pre-developed (egg) stage. While many theories occur, it is clear that Desphynxia is actually in roughly 60% of all people.

Asphynxia on the other hand, is found in 0.000003% of all people. Ever since its classification in 999, only 4 people have been diagnosed with this disorder. This syndrome causes mental absence. Complete mental absence. An IQ test may result with as little as 2 IQ at the age of 7. Even a mentally challenged 7 year old has 50 IQ. Asphynxians are unable to talk, think, and perform many vital functions without aid. Even if able to talk, in which has rarely happened, the words come out stale, undeveloped, and hard to distinguish. They are always repeated words that have been said numerous times, and the words are always one syllable.

Zach Regaldi was the first child born with Asphynxia disorder. He was unable to breathe or drink once hatched from his egg. They put him under life support, and he lived the next year of life as a machine. Scientists new that with this Asphynxia in specific was caused by his skin disorder. This made it curable, but the cost was 8 years in development. Once developed, the Asphynxia syndrome was cured. He was given a false childhood to remember as soon as the cure went into place. Since then the drug has had side effects of inducing Desphynxia in Zach. They have tested this in the other Asphynxia recipients and the same result has not been found.

Since then Zach's life has been normal until this year. Many genetic scientists believe that the Asphynxia was linked to the Phalanxious genes that Zach had. They suspect that his children may have the continuation of the Phalanxious gene disorder, so they developed Asphynxia cures in case the same occurrence happens with his offspring.

Not much else is known about Asphynxia due to its rarity. However, it is quite clear that Desphynxia is the polar opposite of Asphynxia.

…

My dad and I both actually have Desphynxia. That was a major hint to the fact that the Phalanxious gene was linked to Asphynxia. Mom had neither of the syndromes, but she was not the recipient of the Phalanxious gene. They say that my children might have the Phalanxious gene take effect, but they say that it is unpredictable. Apparently it takes 1000 years to mature, but according to dad's history, that doesn't make any sense. It is most likely a random genetic defect.

Though if Zach's children were guaranteed to have Asphynxia and the Phalanxious gene take effect, that would scare me. Both him and whomever the mother may be would probably be terrified. I would be scared too if my kids were unable to perform vital processes. At least the cure was developed for this type of Asphynxia. Since Zach and the other Asphynxians have come along, they classified it into two types. Zach has Asphynxia-B. The rest have Asphynxia-A. Type A is often caused by high amounts of drug misuse. Specifically in methamphetamine. Fortunately drugs are not as much as a problem in pokmeon society than human society.

As for the pendant, the first thing he had drew was a letter V. My dad viewed it special, and made 4 V's for each one of us. As long as there was one with the other, no one would be truly separated in our family, whether in mind or in body. I knew Zach would know what it means when he finds it.

Of course… he just thinks that it relates to Victini… damn the fake memory.

…

I woke up, and my head still had trouble recuperating to lights. Since those blinding lights in the test chamber, I haven't been able to see very well, otherwise I get a head ache.

I knew I was in a hospital room, and that I had passed out from complete brain overwork. It's rare, but happens sometimes. What must have happened is that Kevin wanted to continue the tests without realizing that I had broken the glass wall.

I just wondered what happened while I was out-conscious. I saw a nurse. It was hard to speak, but I mustered the words.

"Nurse… Can I see a doctor…?" I moaned. She nodded, and brought over a Magnetric. He looked familiar…

"Ah, you are awake."

"Wait a sec- I know you… Kyle Macciah… From 21-AA."

"Your memory is good. Yes, it is me. I have been on break, and when I heard this I knew I needed to come and see you. Perhaps I should inform you on what has happened, no?"

"Go ahead." He smiled.

"Well, when you passed out, your father was forced to submit after quite a bit of fighting ever since he fought Mr. Tin. Now he is at the jail, being interrogated. I'm afraid he won't be leaving. Poor you, but he really brought it on himself." I was mad. His eyes began to widen.

"It- It's a fake! My Arceus! What have I been doing? Oh no, this is bad. Very very very bad! I have to go quick! Nurse, please watch over Mr. Regaldi while I speak with the heroes!" All of a sudden he dashed and left. I was confused. Why so abrupt? I had a feeling of strength, and I told the nurse to let me out of the bed. She refused until I stood up and started to run small circles. She saw how I was in fine condition, so she let me run out and leave the hospital. I just forgot.

"Oh yes, where is my mom and my brother?"

"Your brother is in the lobby. Your mother is at the jail."

"Thank you." I dashed off. I raced down the stairs until I found Brian in the lobby. I was still dressed in my hospital suit and boxers…

"Uh…"

"Brian! What the hell is wrong? Dad's in jail?"

"Yes… There's A LOT of controversy going on. Very heated debates. Also, puts some pants on for decency." I slapped myself in the face.

"Where are my clothes though? I have no idea where they are." Brian just shrugged.

"I don't know. Back at the La Toíre is the only place I could think of." I moaned. I told the counter to temporarily discharge me. They first thought I was crazy, but I left anyways. I ran through the cold streets gaining more attention than necessary. The La Toíre was a good 8 blocks away from the hospital, so it was a run.

I once had to confront a cop. I told him the situation, and he drove me over to the La Toíre to save the embarrassment. Although my room was locked, Brian did give me the room key. I got it in and opened up the room. I saw dad's suitcase lying on the bed.

I opened it up, and zealously got on sweat pants and a blue shirt. I grabbed my jacket from the closet and ran back.

Once at the hospital, I had an official discharge, and I ran with Brian over to the jail. It was about a 4 mile jog considering Terra City is about twice as large as Hontia, and far more dense. Brian thought of using the subway, but I told him how we didn't have money.

We compromised and managed to just use the bike system since there were free bikes that we could use. The reserve lane had another lane nearby for the bikes to pass through. I knew how to ride a bike, but I wasn't very fond of it.

In the end we still got to the jail without any error. When we walked in, a Cacturne was at the desk.

"Hello officer. Is a Max Regaldi here?"

"Yes. He is in interrogation room A3. Do not interrupt." We nodded and headed off. We saw mom sobbing outside the door. When she saw us, she threw her arms around us.

"Mom, what's going to happen to dad?" Brian asked.

"I don't know sweetie… I don't know…" She sounded very depressed. I was mad, so I stalked in on their conversation.

"So Max, what will it be? You could go through a HUMILIATING mock trial, or just go easily. Quite honestly you can just come clean and there would be no issue," the interrogator asked. Dad was silent. "Are you listening to me? You have to make a choice. There's no way out of this mister."

"It was Kevin's fault. He's responsible for all this."

"No it wasn't. The machine malfunctioned and he did not know. He is innocent."

"Listen to me damn you. I was there. I saw what happened."

"Please, Mr. Tin is more reliable than some renegad-"

"I'M NOT RENEGADE! I WAS PROTECTING MY SON BECAUSE HE WAS HURTING HIM! HE'S AT THE-" I broke in to correct him.

"So you're the interrogator huh?" I asked the lean Ambipom.

"Why I am. And you must be Zach Regaldi. You know, you should be ashamed for what you caused your dad to do." I saw my dad ball his fists. He was clenching his teeth.

"We'll have the mock trial. However, I assure you and all your friends will face a humiliating defeat. Kevin Tin will think twice before doing what he did to me." Both my dad, the Ambipom, and everyone else watching were shocked.

"It's settled then. We'll settle this in court. Also Zach, I hope you enjoy defeat. Because when Kevin and his lawyers are done with you, it's going to be humiliating. Very crushing." He walked out laughing to himself.

"Zach, why. We can't possibly win!"

"We can't, but I know some people that will."

"Who are you talking about? No one can beat the figureheads lawyers. They are thorough and smart! Unbeatable. They have never lost a case."

"Aren't you forgetting some people that we rescued a few months ago that are the strongest people in the world?" Dad saw where I was going.

"Arceus… They're clever Zach, but I don't think that clever."

"Oh I think with some help with some friends that we will have this case settled and won very easily. You'd be surprised what I can do with some friends dad."

"What do you have in mind? That Victini?"

"No. Actually, a friend back in school. Very wise and smart and strong. He'll know what to do. I need a phone though."

"There's one at the front desk. I don't know if they'll let you use it though."

"It won't matter. I'll also need to get 5 plane tickets to Terra City. He'll need to be here."

I head into the main office, and dialed up his number.

…

I heard the phone ring in the kitchen.

"What on earth? Can you please get it for me?" my dad asked.

"Sure thing." I ran over and saw "Terra City Jail" on the number. I was confused, so I picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mr. Argonish. Can I speak to your son?"

"You're talking to him. What is it Zach?"

"Oh good! I need your help. You're coming to Terra City."

"Wait, what?"

"We need you to help settle a lawsuit. With your smarts and ability to predict… We can't lose."

"Uh, I've done debates, so sure I could help. Where are you now?"

"Terra City Jail. Look, we also need your help on educating some of our friends that would be incredibly helpful in this lawsuit. I'm going to get you all on the same flight, and you'll act as my dad's lawyer."

"Wait- this isn't with the tests isn't it?"

"It is… They went horribly wrong. I passed out, and my dad beat up Kevin Tin because he continued regardless that the glass barrier to protect me broke. He's going to court. It's against the figurehead lawyers."

"Politicians… I hate politicians."

"Yes I know. But the one who hates knows them better, so we could really use your help. So what do you say Kyle?"

"I say I'll do it. Just send me the tickets and I'll be on my way. My dad doesn't care where I go nowadays anyways."

"Thanks Kyle. You're awesome. I'm sending the tickets over to you ASAP." He hung up the phone. I'm going to Terra City to help a great friend; nonetheless it's Zach. This day could not have gotten any better.

…

YAY! It's done! :D Plus I have the next chapter perfectly set up once I get to it. Also, I've been playing the Binding of Isaac. Addicting. As. HELL. I'm going to work on my TF2 stories, so there will be a hold on this.

Also, even though it didn't seem like it, this chapter was actually made _really _fast. The thing was that I was very busy recently, and that my TF2 chapters took longer than usual. I made this chapter in about 4 days, which if anything is above how fast I would write these chapters in the minimum. It makes me happy that I can pull off this stuff so easily, so expect chapters to come quicker.

Don't forget to review, favorite, or add to alert list to find out more and when it will update easier.

Have a good day!

~DTH~

(P.S. The core document I use for this story is 282 pages long T_T)


	13. Chapter 13, Unforeseen

Zach's Years: Freshman. Chapter 13, Unforeseen. A Pokémon Fanfiction by Deathlark.

(Changed up the title line a bit. Felt this was better)

Author's Note: Okay this took a while. Why? Here are some reasons.

1: School is closing up, so I've been hit over the head with field trips and work.

2: Lots of life is happening. Some friendships are being built and wrecked ATM.

3: Dampened spirits. I've been rather depressed recently and frustrated with some life problems.

4: Low inspiration. Because of 1-3, I have less inspiration to care for the stories, so less passion is built towards the new chapter.

5: I took a mini-vacation for a bit and this was in real life… Not from writing.

6: I started a new story. You can find it through my author page if interested.

I've been heavily delayed. I hope this doesn't occur, and I am going on a fully fledged vacation in a week. Just a heads up.

At least I managed to get it done. So here it is. Read nao.

More information in the finishing notes at the end of the chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Nintendo's Pokemon Franchise.**

**Note: Okay I really placed this off. I took a break, had my mind stalled, and other things. At least summer is here; writing rate should be faster.**

…

_Miracles only happen when miracles are made._

…

"I can't believe it!" said Derek. The Riolu figurehead was steamed.

"Me too. This is such a ridiculous matter and how the conflict arose. Honestly I'd rather just end it, but it's between a figurehead. We can't do anything!" exclaimed Zuljan. Zuljan is the influential Abra Figurehead. The two of them were discussing the topic of Kevin Tin and Max Regaldi's lawsuit. They had no side to take, and just wished that the argument never arose in the first place.

"Yeah… It's consuming time. We need to work. The matter of gun production is more important than this little quarrel. I know Tin's work on Regaldi is important, but it's just unnecessary blockading." The war has been becoming more in the Avenger's favor ever since gun production took place. The fact that they can bear arms has now aided in the current power of the Avenger's skill. However, the Legion is still more technologically advanced.

"I still don't understand what's so important about some family line and their child." They were at a nearby café and enjoying some morning coffee. It was popular news that there was the lawsuit between Tin and Regaldi going on.

The Authoritative Discussions are rumors to everyone but the highest powers. It is when the Figureheads close of all communications to talk about classified and important material. The figureheads are the only ones that know of the comet containing alien DNA of a pokemon that landed in the Ascen Desert. They only know of the work being done to discover the highest powers of pokemon; the legendaries so to speak. Only they know of the past behind the Regaldis and their friends. Only they know about the Legionnaires; a group of people sworn to protect all that is holy of Arceus's pawns. Only they know how Zach Regaldi is the last blessed of the Elder Victini, granted the fact that the entire investigation was started by the previous Aron Figurehead A.J. Ron. It was an infamous example of misguided ideas. A.J. Ron was a great figurehead and has proposed many wonderful ideas. However, his devotion towards raising Zach Regaldi's skill had ultimately claimed his life and Zach's stability.

It is no secret that Zach almost killed himself out of the torturous procedures that he was put through. So much pressure can only be bestowed upon a 15 year old child. He is not old enough to do any of the rights a basic citizen has, yet he is as important as a figurehead.

No one is sure though how to go along. Since A.J. Ron's death, the Avenger Government has had little influence on Zach's life. Figureheads have been debating the renewal of the RR campaign. It has received popularity and dislike among the leaders, and no one is willing to take the leading baton for the mission. Zuljan has put thought towards it and has reviewed the file for the case. Both sides provide legitimate and wise reasons for why or why not to renew the mission.

Derek seems to want to try and work towards the renewal. Both understand the mental exhaustion and pressure that Zach has gone through. They know how his liveliness has faded and his entire background.

Ugh… No one ever understands. I wish the government was far more free willed. Sure the figureheads need to know whatever occurs in their world, but my case, this is a more private affair. From my 8th story window I viewed down upon the two men chatting, practicing my advanced hearing and mind reading that Vic has been teaching me. I was already feeling the effects of how much exhaustion these hyped abilities work on me. I needed to sit down and get a glass of water as soon as I finished decoding their mental enigmas.

"*Sigh* Man I'm tired out Vic. This stuff sure is hard," I told him.

"Yes it is. It takes much practice but eventually you will learn to find out what someone is hiding behind their back in the blink of an eye. It is worthwhile to learn," he replied.

"Not just the mind reading. It only works on distracted targets that are far away. Only masters of psychokinetic powers are able to do it with someone like a loved one that's right next to them."

"True. As the Elder, I have picked up an abnormally strong psychokinetic knowledge. That doesn't mean your mentality has made it any harder. In fact, you're as good as most blessed were with psychokinetic ways." I started to gaze out the window mindlessly. I looked out at the sky. I sighed.

"I've had too much of a life. Sometimes I just want to fly away from it all and live in my own peaceful land." I looked out at the sky. "Just want to swim away…"

"I know that feeling. That feeling where you feel everything is against you and you just need to escape from it all. You feel like you have no meaning except being a tool." I was a bit silent.

"Yeah…" I thought of the Legionnaires. I knew he would pick up on that.

"Legionnaires… Such a place has not been charted."

"And as a wise man once said, _'The newest grounds are the most exciting ones.'_" Vic laughed.

"Quoting Arceus's guide? You really do sound like a legionnaire!" I laughed.

"Hey, they really follow his beliefs. Maybe not strictly but as a thing to believe in. I honestly would like to join them."

"At least they're not the Legion. Arceus knows what would happen if you had agreed to join the Legion's side."

"I'm sure reason as we know it would be put to its grave. The only issue is that they are all the way in Cortia… It's kind of hard just to get too, as well as dangerous since it's so close to the border."

"Yes, I've heard of Legion scandals before. I wonder how the Legionnaires acquired their name." I thought about that. That actually started to decently confuse me.

"Good point… Why are they called that? The name is similar but the Legion is an enemy. Logic?"

"Eh… They probably have some kind of reason." I gazed once more at the sky. A fog had set on Terra City, deeming the entire a sky a dull grey. I yawned.

"I'm getting tired. I'm going to meditate and get some rest. Kyle will be here soon. Do what you want to do for the meanwhile Vic," I closed.

"Sweet dreams." Vic tuned off and I saw the bed already pre-made. I think a maid might have made it while I was staring off… Probably was freaked out.

Bah she has reason to be… A 14 year old red Gallade staring out the window absent-minded. Who wouldn't be?

Anyhow, without hesitation, I got on the bed and repeated my meditation process. I slowly lifted off the bed and closed my eyes. I soon drifted away into my mental realm.

…

(I'm translating what the english conversation would be. All the words Moltres and Victini speak would normally be the ancient language. Instead I'm nice and lazy and decided not to do tons of time consuming translating and turn it all into English with a few exceptions as you will see.)

…

Moltres called me over again. I was a bit more happy to do it, but all the while reluctant.

"Vic. What you have told me… It is shocking," Moltres started off.

"And you're telling me. He's gotten himself into a lot worse now," I replied.

"Davpéna. (Rough translation: Whatever) It is not of the matter. What's important is the fact of the Legionnaires. Their influence over Zach's mind has been so abrupt and insane that it makes me fret over the boy's mental capacity. Even for a blessed his mind can be so uncoordinated."

"That is true… He does not comprehend just what his mind can accomplish due to the seal."

"It wasn't entirely the seal. The boy was already bound to be the champion of mental reflex."

"True, however he would have never been able to even think of comprehending the jonsé."

"Likewise true."

"Though Moltres, one thing I saw was that I think the combination of Zach's high reflex and the fact that I'm the elder Victini caused something. Doctors counted rans or how many thoughts you have per second."

"That is an unusual measurement. Go on."

"Right. The record holder originally had up to 230 rans. When Zach used a jonsé, the rans count spiked to trillions of rans. That means the speed our brains computer at is so quick that we can't even understand it. Of course, this is for blessed. I am not sure how rans would apply to us Prelc or Qualc." Moltres started to understand.

"I see. Do you know what kind of spike occurs with a súvois working?"

"There is no change. The súvois has to be so natural that no extra rans extent would be needed." Moltres nodded.

"I am going to relay the messages to the rest of the Qualc. This is a momentous discovery Vic." Soon Moltres raised his head high and called out to the world. The cavern started to glow red and the energy was shot into the stars from a Volcano. The Volcano above ground would erupt, but that was not of the matter. This was vital.

The message became intertwined with the stars and the other Qualc soon learned from a simple gaze in the sky. Qualc everywhere rejoiced at the discovery. Now they all know what makes the blessing work. The increase of mental speed.

I did not care.

"Vic, you are not celebrating. What is the cause of your empty demeanor?"

"Because it doesn't matter to me. We found out what makes blessings work. We don't know how. Zach won't know how. No one still knows how except Arceus. And all the while Zach is dying."

"Vic, what are you talking about?" Moltres was more alerted by my last sentence. "We are all dying and growing."

"Yes, but mentally. We never die mentally. But Zach is." Moltres's original exuberant expression had become suddenly transfixed and grim.

"H-how?" This was the first time I ever heard him tremble.

"The answer is simple: The soul of all."

"Demons…" Moltres moaned.

"No. Emotions. More prominently paranoia."

"Paranoia? What's wrong with the boy being paranoid?"

"It's not normal paranoia. It's a haunting paranoia. One he can't shake off. The first encounter with the dark legion through the Scizor has emotionally infected him. He has an incurable pit of darkness within him. No intervention can ever fix this unless Arceus demands it. This pit will grow and eventually eat his soul alive. He has already become obscenely paranoid in the past, causing much ruckus. It may happen again if he is not careful."

"Then what is our time left with thoi Regaldi?" Moltres asked, trembling with fear.

"Exactly 4 years from today. Not many will realize it, but Zach's spike is already a very tiny bit black. His covering hides it, and he always instinctively has a plaster coat on it. But as time goes on this mere black dot will stretch down from the tip of his spike to eventually his body. And once the spike is all black, the inner demon within him will be released. From there… we can only hope for the best." Moltres was paralyzed with fear.

"Arceus… Crontozis!" He threw his head and yelled again. The eruption would start again, but it would be a new wave in the already molten cascade of eruptions. The energy shot through the sky and once again lined the stars with the information.

Soon a great moaning could be heard from all the Qualc in the world. The fate of the final blessed had been pre-determined. Zach was bound for hell. And so was I.

…

My chest burned within me. The flaring pain next to my spike caused me to become delusional in my thoughts. With the exception of all the eyes staring down on me. I could figure out the eyes somehow; their thought! Everything about the wielder was concealed within them somehow- but how?

The fire within my spike erupted into releasing a flame across the room I was in. A dark hand reached out from the abyss coating the walls and silenced the flame and curled its long and dexterous fingers around my body. It soon coiled and lifted me off my feet. The pain was too agonizing to try and fight back. Another pair of eyes greeted with me an angry squinting look.

I felt myself start to lose consciousness. Soon I left the horrific realm and went back to the bed.

I saw Brian standing across the room in amazement. He was not sure how to react.

What this horrid dream was really doing was an idea of Vic's. It seemed to actually work out more positively but it was frightening at the same time. Since I've been having trouble with mastering mind reading, he wants to try harder. Really he's become desperate suddenly. I am not sure what spurred this sudden need of urgency to learn this tactic.

Really this may have been enough to do it. Not on Brian, but another group I saw from outside the window. I could read their every thought; what they were tasting, seeing, hearing- everything. It was paranormal, like entering another body. On a similar note, I have no control over my own body. It's as if I hop and sneak into another thought process. And how?

The eyes. Eyes are a passageway. You can tell everything about an eye. The moisture of the cornea, the size of the pupil and iris, how tight the iris is contracting or how loosely it is expanding, the shifting of the lens, and even the pattern of the iris and so much more. I'm not sure how I do it, but I get it done. I'm sure at least some of the other blessed felt this way.

I really feel this way for a lot of blessed things I've done. Really I'm just not sure how it all worked out. I'm not the biggest believer in arcane content, but it may be the only reason for this.

"Zach, are you okay?" Brian asked. As with mind reading, I can't focus enough to enter the mind of my brother. I could not read his mind.

"Yes, just fine. What is it?" I asked.

"Kyle is here. It was awfully quick somehow," Brian said. I was impressed by how little time it took.

"Good. Did he bring the others?"

"Only Oscio and Skit could come. Hope that's fine," Brian explained. I nodded.

"It will be good enough. I need to meet them; where are they now?"

"At the airport still. I suggest you run there." I nodded.

"Thanks bro. I'll see you later." He smiled and nodded.

"Let's make sure this works. I have doubts, but I have hopes too."

…

POV Switch

…

As Zach left the room, I sighed and fell down on his bed. I was exhausted from all that has happened today.

I pulled out my cell phone to see texts from Rachel.

Rachel: Hows it goin?

I smiled to know that she could keep me positive; this is excluding the rather dull mood I've been in.

Brian: Fine. U 2?

Rachel: Kinda. John is nrvus bout Zach. Wrkd ^ frm wht u sed.

Brian: Dat sux. Tell hm dat itll be fine.

Rachel: K. Still missin u! 3 Rachel Bai!

I smiled. I did miss her; so far away from home and so distressed. I wished I could just have her in my arms to warm my spirit.

Zach hasn't been right for far too long now. Ever since they came back from Hontia, Zach seems to be so focused that he forgets all of us. I want to reach out to him so desperately yet he consumes himself in his own conundrums and enigmas.

I worry for his health too. No one this age should have gone through what he is. Not even an adult should have to go through Zach's torment! He can drink water regularly but that is excluding the metal skeleton, getting shot next to his spike, and being pummeled several times. I've seen him without his shirt on and he has dozens of slight grey spots from being injured so much.

This also includes emotional health. He seems really depressed and solitary and not really reaching out to others. I couldn't survive without my friends, and it's like Vic is the only friend Zach has. I'm here too, as well as his parents and others. I sometimes get jealous how Vic connects so easily with Zach, and I've hardly met him.

I wonder what it is to have an advisor in his head all the time. I also ponder how well they get along as well as what they talk about. Probably something about the seal and all this magic stuff…

Suddenly, the door was kicked down and two bi-pedal figures appeared in all black suits bursting through the door picking me up and shoving me against the wall.

"Where is your brother?" one asked. I was too busy trying to get his hand off my neck. I was strong enough to do so, but another one reached out grabbed me even harder, and I knew I couldn't break through his power, despite my strength.

"When we ask you something, you answer. Now tell us where he is going!" the other yelled.

"I don't know!" I screamed through my constricted throat. They took out a gun and pointed.

"Of course you-"

"HEY!" A young voice cut them off. Zach stood at the entrance of a broken window, furious with his head slightly red from rage. It was impressive how he climbed to this apartment so suddenly considering he had to have been on the ground.

"There you are!" one said. He pulled up his gun and aimed it at Zach. Zach stayed calm, and suddenly pushed the guns aside using some kind of skill. It seemed to be telekinesis, but I wasn't sure.

"No guns. Use your true skills." The men grunted, and charged straight at Zach. In a dazzling display, Zach swirled around; sweep kicked one, and punched the other, rendering them both unable to fight. Using the advantage, Zach charged up a focus punch, and used it as soon as one came in for another attack.

They dodged and used protect to block a counter and used shadow ball in order to counter up. Zach blocked the shot and repelled them back using pure strength. Zach followed up with a barrage of mach-punches dazing the two men. Once the punches had done their effect, Zach used some sort of power to thrust them against the wall. He used quick attack to run to them.

He picked them up, and flew into the air; through the roof even. How could he use seismic toss? I thought that would be a restricted attack, even for the seal.

He came crashing in suddenly, smashing through all the floors of the building until he hit the basement. I peered down the crater he had left and saw him standing before two bewildered thugs.

I had no time to view what happened afterwards, as I was running down stairs to get to see what happened. I'm not sure if the owners of the building knew what just happened, but Zach had just caused some collateral damage… I'm rather worried.

Anyhow, once I got back, I saw Zach duking it out with the grunts. (I love using duking as a verb.) Moves were flying around, and I gazed at the power of both the enemies and Zach. It was clear though that Zach was being overwhelmed. I watched from the side nervously hoping that Zach would win. I didn't want to give myself away by cheering.

At one point, Zach was thrown back by a simultaneous brick break that went through Zach's sudden protect. I saw blood creep out of the side of his mouth. I held my breath in fear.

Zach's spike flared red suddenly as the men walked over. Zach lay dormant to the goons. They grabbed him by his arms.

Suddenly the entire room became extremely hot as Zach released the charged flame that I could only assume incinerated the men. I hid trembling behind a steel pipe. Even behind the flame I could feel the heat creeping up and slightly burning my skin. It hurt, but not as much as it would if I so as much shuffled a slight bit as the flames crept around the sides of the room.

Soon the core heat disbanded through the walls. The metal above me started to melt, as well as much of the piping. Small flames still lasted from the overheating of the floor, and I could feel the heat emanating from the floor even through the shoes I was wearing.

I saw Zach screaming slightly from lying on the ground from all the heat. I quickly went over and picked him up and ran to the stairwell where the heat was less intense. I saw small tears coursing down from his cheeks.

"Zach! Zach please speak to me!" He cringed and started to curl up and roll out of my lap, so I picked him up and ran into the main office. Soon he let out a very large and blood curdling scream that had a high enough frequency to make me immediately plug my ears, as well as several people around us. Soon all I saw was a flash of light, and blindness followed. Soon I was knocked on my side from a tremendous force and was sent flying into the side of the wall.

I quickly regained my sight to see Zach pressed up against the side of a wall with black streaks of power lining his body, running into the walls and creating an eloquent web of black lines. I saw his eyes closed and I heard him moaning and struggling. I slowly got to my feet, very dizzy and dazed. The entire building was blown apart and I saw several injured people unconscious on the street. For some reason, only the wall Zach was on did not crumble away.

I got up quickly and tore him off of the wall. Soon more demonic screams released as the wall lost its black streaks. Soon Zach's eyes opened up with a completely black eye with a small white ring where his iris would normally be. He got up slowly and painfully, while he trembled moaning and groaning. He stood up firmly with his blades, the end parts that can become longer for a Gallade, out around twenty-eight feet long, piercing the ceiling and shattering it.

He started to mumble illiterate noises that sounded twisted and demonic. I was scared more than I had ever been in my life. I tried to get away but suddenly he looked up. The black lines across his body had started to branch out like thorns, infecting him with the darkness.

A dark force started to drag me back towards him. Small wisps of black energy radiated from his body and pulled me back towards him. I started to slip, and soon I was propelled directly towards him until he had me in his grip.

He brought me to his face. Sweat soaked my body and I was paralyzed with fear. He purposely made me stare into the pitch black eyes he had. I avoided, but something forced me to stare into them.

Within seconds did my body go limp. Everything I saw was pitch black, and I could not think; only see.

…

Once more, POV Switch.

…

As Vic and I were meditating, something spurred thought in his mind.

"Is something the matter Vic?" I asked.

"Yes… Zach is off fighting some legions again. *Sigh* The normal," he answered. I nodded.

"Poor child. Must keep enticing others into fights," I noted.

"No, they attacked his brother, so it's more protection."

"Oh. Ylosé. (It essentially means my fault.) I did not know the circumstances."

"Gjondsé, I did not elaborate ahead of time. (Gjondsé = It's okay.)" I nodded, and the conversation abrupted with Vic intensely letting out a grunt.

"Arceus- NO! I'm losing him!" I panicked immediately. This meant that Zach was succumbing to the darkness within.

"Quick! Rally all his information and condemn him! It does not matter what it takes, just make sure that it does not happ-" All of a sudden, Vic discharged a severe amount of energy and engulfed the entire room in flames.

I could not control these flames… they were completely emotionally charged. The feelings contained within the embers would slowly lose their heat, but something must have happened to Vic.

As I brushed off the flames I saw Vic breathing heavily on all fours.

"Vic, are you okay…" He took a breath.

"Yes, but Zach fares far worse. I lost complete connection to him. I need to get to Terra City now!"

"You are not allowed to, but what is the calamity?" I asked. A sense of urgency lingered in our speech.

"Is it not obvious enough already? If something doesn't stop him, Zach is going to simply destroy the entire city. Everyone will be walking around as his mindless servants until his darkness becomes purified."

"Yes, but we can't leave here. If someone even learns of our existence, the entire league of legends will be demolished!" (References yay!)

"But what will? Otherwise the world is done for!"

"There are miracles Vic… All we can do… is wait."

…

Third Person POV Switch. Yes the POV has been jumping around more than it ever has in the series. Don't be a butt face and whine about it.

…

Zach stood atop the prime building of Terra City overlooking the wrought city. Beaten buildings tarnished by the blades lashing out of his arms and people with blank thoughts everywhere. People are screaming and running from the city.

Zach's black thorns had lengthened to his back and become larger near his spike. The black eyes had not changed, but his complexion had turned to that of a demon; black wings erupting out of his back with his helmet's crest curving forward becoming a horn. A black tail lashed out from his bottom corrupting the very ground it brushed upon.

His furious thoughts within battled between his inner and outer self. He had evolved between two different beings thriving off of each other's cooperation. The being could never be content as the two beings would never be able to cooperate based on their judgment.

One being, a Gallade that was all white without a helmet and disc, believed in completely purist ways and complete devotion to others. Nothing mattered to himself, as he believed that everything relied in everyone else.

The other was a black Gallade with red eyes and a greyish skin tone with a black helmet and a red rimmed disc. He cared for only himself and couldn't care less for anyone else in the world. The two constantly bickered on what they should do. Neither could assume control, so the raging argument formed and took over Zach's body. Zach's spirit essentially drained from his own body to his mind. The rage took over and formed a demon that sought as much power as it could salvage.

It wanted its own power but enslaved others to work for him by emptying their mind out of all thought just as it has happened to him. He turned these other slaves into extremely powerful beings yet stayed omniscient to all of them. He commanded his own army of mindless people, all following the belief of rage. Regardless the pokemon, they sprouted a dark tail and black wings. None of them had the marks Zach had, or his black eyes, but they were similar in their horns that were golden and sprouted from their head.

The tyrant stood atop the building looking to the sun. He did not care for the light, and wanted to extinguish its flame so he would bear with the annoyance no longer. He knew it was impossible, so he needed to exile his rage from the sun into others. It meant to possess more and make them part of his army. He knew of a great mass of pokemon out in the hall of heroes. It was his goal to take control and dispel his anger across as many of them as possible.

All the meanwhile, a mandatory meeting between all the heroes and others had been called in the hall of heroes. They had militia protecting the area as they fended off several of the demonic citizens. They wielded anything they could find as weapons.

Joining the heroes were a very select group of individuals: Mr. and Mrs. Regaldi, a young Zoroark named Kyle, and four men without last names. They called themselves Oscio, who was some undocumented creature, Skit, a very lean Sceptile, Fray, a Lucario, and Crow, a Charizard.

The men were frantically discussing the problem at hand. Many were unsure what to do, as the fights they have seen are horrific. The demonic citizens have the average power of a champion boxer and the agility of masters. Nonetheless, they can fly too.

Many of them were arguing while all this occurred. Several different opinions were visible through the conversations they held. Two sides had evolved; one that orders their eradication, and the other that wants to abandon the city and keep it under quarantine making sure that none will escape.

All the meanwhile, the Regaldis had been very upset. The fact that both of their children were somewhere out there in the masses of brainwashed citizens was upsetting to the parents. The unusual men kept to themselves, all with grim expressions for their downhearted friends the Regaldis. Kyle in the meanwhile was trying to make a completely different point.

He was not heard amongst the crowd. The adults brushed him off as a desperate kid needing attention, yet he had a solution. He had taken one of the brainwashed citizens and imprisoned them, and he would show his true power.

Kyle has some very unique powers exclusive to him. What no one knew was that he possessed pieces of ancient power inside of him known to few as a Victini blessing. This was no average Victini though. Victini's are legends. Creatures with ungodly psychic abilities that could very much place them in charge of the world.

But they can't do it by themselves. This forces them to make deals or pacts with normal mortals so that the blessed can become extremely powerful harnessing ancient abilities that are super-pokemon power. Kyle is one of these pact receivers.

But they were eradicated. How can there be one left? There isn't.

What is so unusual is that a Victini did not bless him at all. Some mad man had engraved the power of the seal on his back, very much how the original blessing worked. It worked. Kyle could use these special abilities and become abnormally strong.

He had learned a way to intercept the courses of thoughts in someone's mind without them realizing it. (Sounds like inception.) He takes his own conscience and forces it into the target's mind so he can essentially be a ghost to the other minds yet being physically there. He can view the thoughts happening and edit them at his own will.

Using this ability, he could very much revive the mindless citizens to act normally by breaking the divided conscience similar to Zach's problem. He can enter the mind and break the madness within.

But there were too many of these people to do that. What would he do? Approach the source of all the chaos.

He would have to find Zach and go into his mind and deliberately fuse the two separate beings within Zach to become one.

He would pose that he did not know how he acquired his power and would explain his case and what to do. He was not sure on how the Regaldi parents would react to hearing that their son was the source behind all this chaos.

Though the worry of how it could turn out was high on the priority list of Kyle, he knew saving his friends and all of Terra City was more important.

All the figureheads clamored about frantically before the podium in the hall. They were too busy arguing to realize that a young Zoroark about the age 15 had stepped up to the podium and turned on the microphone.

"EXCUSE ME!" he yelled. Immediately all faces turned towards him. "ENOUGH WITH YOUR ARGUING! This work is not being productive whatsoever! If no one comes to a resolution, these demons will have us in their army before we even realize it! We are the last hope for everyone in the world in case these people manage to escape!" Many people were confused why he had suddenly got on the stage and why he was so young.

"And what do you have for us you dumb kid?" the Baltoy figurehead asked. Soon others joined in with him questioning Kyle's authority.

"I have this." He pointed to Oscio the unusual creature carrying a large cage with a demon citizen within. People gasped and said to get away as soon as it was identified, but Kyle continued. As soon as Oscio was done, people started to get closer. "Do not fear. They are harmless behind bars unlike their master, Zach Regaldi." The words brought confusion to the Regaldi parents' ears. Immediately did Max understand though. He started to get really depressed soon afterwards.

Kyle looked at the person. No one could tell, but Kyle's eyes started to become all white except his iris becoming black. He grabbed the Alakazam's head and stared into his eyes. Soon both became immobile and their entire eyes went blank as they collapsed on the floor. The fury occurring within the Alakazam had been disrupted by Kyle. This left him a chance to infiltrate the mental realm of this man.

Once entering he saw the two complexes that had divided his mind. One blue and one green. Judging from their argument it was between power. One was for his own need and one for helping others. Much similar to Zach's argument.

"Hm? Whom might this be?" said the Blue Alakazam.

"Stop your quarreling and realize the work that your argument has brought upon your host." Kyle took the tape he had and showed it to the apparitions. They were appalled.

"This is what you get! If you hadn't relied on others to come to your aid, you could have been saved!" the green one yelled.

"Well it was his own need for help that was ridiculous!" the blue one countered.

"ENOUGH!" Kyle yelled. He clasped his fists together forming a dark ball of energy. "Will you save the time for me beating you down so that I won't have to force you to fuse together?" The two thought a second.

"Fine then. Let us see what you have little boy," the green one replied. Kyle grunted crushing his optimism.

"Bring it." The Alakazam's had no intent working together allowing Kyle to pin them against each other rather than have them fight himself. Kyle baited the two to face him in a line. He blocked each melee attack.

When the blue one tried to use water gun on Kyle, he diverted the blast of water to hit the green one. The green one got mad and tackled the blue one.

Kyle was surprised how easy it was to get them to fight each other. He took advantage and used a self-developed move that clustered several shots of dark pulse. The attack took both of them off guard.

They were now tired out from the barrage of attacks that Kyle followed up with. Yawn, shock wave, will-o-wisp, and blizzard. Both were tired out completely. Kyle seized the opportunity.

He walked over and picked both of them up by their necks. His eyes glowed a pearly white and soon the two of them became white on their own. Soon they started to merge together until they had restored being.

Soon the restored mind appeared before Kyle.

"Thank you flesh-bearer. You are free to leave this conscience whenever it pleases you. You have done a favor restoring my whole self and allowing me to control my body once more," the vision said. Kyle nodded and teleported out of this realm and back into the real world.

Everyone watched intently as Kyle unlocked the cage and the Alakazam slowly lost its tail and wings. As soon as the last glimmers of darkness faded from sight, the eyes of the man opened. He looked around.

"W-Where am I?" he asked.

"You are safe now. Leave this city. Much has happened that you do not want to know," Kyle answered.

"I remember… Dark eyes… Horrible dark eyes. I started to lose control of myself… *Gasp*! Where- Where are they? Mary, Julia, where-"

"Mister… Stay here if you are concerned about them. There is room downstairs. If you here a bell ring, that means run away from here as fast as you can. There is nothing you can do to save your family," the Torchic figurehead told the nervous Alakazam.

"Oh…" He seemed a bit somber hearing those words. "Okay. I will go." He slowly left. All the figureheads watched in awe of the display. Many marveled at what this child Zoroark had just done.

"You. What is your name?" the Torchic figurehead, Don Ferry asked Kyle.

"Kyle Argonish. 15 years old," Kyle said with prompt and confidence.

"You are the only one that can save this city- maybe even the world – from a dystopia future. We are going to organize a plan. You are going to be the center of this. You understand, yes?" Kyle thought a second.

"Yes sir." Don nodded.

"Friends! Join me in the hall where we shall discuss our plans." Soon all the figureheads rose on command and followed Don and Kyle into the planning room.

Max and Megan Regaldi both watched as the masses of men left the room. The 4 unique people came and joined them.

"What has it come too? A thousand years ago we would never have thought that we would be standing in front of these incredible men talking about your child who is endangering the world. It is relaxing to know that Zach will not be killed though, yes?" Oscio asked.

"Yes to a degree… It's nice that Zach won't die. I'm more scared of what it will take to set him right… and what more it will take so that this won't happen again," Max answered.

"I just hope our boys will be fine in the end… and this will be in the past someday… but this experience will never fade away," Megan replied. All of them silently though about all that had happened since the time that no technology could even be considered to exist and compared to now… Guns and lights and much else… A big jump for once-cave-dwellers.

Meanwhile, inside the meeting room, all the great men were collaborating. Conversations whirred by Kyle's head, making him feel like he was forgotten. He had been given minor compliments and hurrahs but nothing to really make him feel important. Like Zach, Kyle did not have the most healthy of emotions.

Then the Aggron figurehead, a source of this chaos, approached Kyle.

"Hello Mr. Argonish," he said to him. Kyle turned his head and said nothing. "Please, be open. You seem very alone." Kyle gave a small glance, but still said nothing and looked the other direction. Kevin sat next to him.

"Look… I feel guilty. Really, it was my fault what happened to your friend during the tests. And now with all this… It's hard to feel like I'm not the cause of this. You abandoned a lot to come here. Suddenly, all this happens." Kyle still didn't turn or say anything.

"If you wish to know what the others have planned for you, just call." After Kyle didn't say anything else, Kevin got up. He started to walk away.

"Uh, Mr. Tin?" Kevin slowly turned his head back, a bit surprised that he had actually asked.

"Yes?"

"Please, I need to know what they have planned." Kevin nodded, and walked over.

"Militia are going to storm and capture as many of the demonic denizens as they can. You will be at the front lines yet protected. He men we have will risk their own stability to make sure you don't fall victim. We believe your mentality may still be in danger if someone like Zach lost his mentality. This is the most dangerous homeland storming ever attempted… Because you are the center of all this. We lose one man and it's all over. For once, the world rests in you and Zach's hands. The entire sanctity could be demonized without some other arcane legend coming to our rescue."

"You know that Zach and I are unique?" Kyle quickly asked.

"We are figureheads. Nothing flies under our radar. We even know that Zach's dad assassinated A.J. Ron." Kyle was alarmed by that.

"W-w-wha!"

"Yes… Ron had crazy ideas to push an agenda to make Zach an unstoppable machine… Thanks to that, we are all in this situation. He tried to force power into him too quickly. It takes time to breed genius." Kyle realized the entire scheme of how Zach was supposed to be trained to be a war wrecker. Now he understood the pain of how Zach's absences and mishaps had affected him. These were all too early planned, and now his head is marked high with the Legion.

Now Kyle understood the role. He was unsure about this all and what it would do to his morale, but now he understood what Zach had sacrificed. He had to leave normal life and honesty and what he had been raised on suddenly to adjust.

Now Kyle was ready to assume the role.

"What else?" he asked with far more confidence.

"We spotted Zach on the True-kno building. (Huge building. 104 stories tall.) We have to storm it if anything. It's going to be hell because of all the workers there that have most likely become unstable." Abruptly, a man runs in.

"Nobles! Crucial discovery! Ripping off the wings of a person will purify them!" Kyle sighed. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to constantly enter the consciences of people.

"I guess that the wings are the main embodiment of rage. Releasing that dispels the argument and diminishes the disagreement," Kyle replied to Tin.

"Huh? What?"

"The conscience of the corrupted person splits into two opposite beings that will never get along because of their rage. This rage is transformed into a being, taking over the body since neither can come together to own the body. Therefore, the rage is transmitted to the wings which can be removed." Kevin understood.

"I see." Their conversation was interrupted by a Torterra.

"Sir, flying would be a futile way to access the True-kno tower's top. We have to use ground patrol." Kevin was mad.

"That's outrageous! How come?"

"All our flying patrols are either lost or corrupted. The demons can fly, you know."

"Damn… We will need to arm our force more so." Kevin turned and faced general Jack O' Donnel, who was on leave from his duties at post 21-AA.

"Jack, we need your best soldiers. This job decides the fate of our world," he told the Typhlosion.

"Yes sir. Only the best." He rallied and pulled out a phone and started organizing everything. Soon he returned.

"I selected the best fifty men I have. They are all either quad-ped or bi-ped. No flying from what I've heard."

"Good. You are to protect this young one at all cost." Kevin said this pointing to Kyle. "You are to give your own mental sanity for this one."

"What? He's a kid!" Jack retaliated.

"Yes. He's _THE _kid that is the only one that can save the world from the despair that his friend Zach had brought upon this city."

"It had to be Zach Regaldi…" Jack grunted to himself, and was a bit silent for the moment.

"You must be special, like him," Jack said to Kyle.

"Yes sir."

"Well good. Now I know the consequences. I will tell my men to do so. Meet me at the entrance to the hall of heroes. Do not fear, it is secure." Jack slowly left.

"A tough soldier," Kyle said.

"This is why he is the best." Kyle waved bye to the figurehead as he walked away from the room.

"Gods preserve you…" Kevin prayed as he left.

As Kyle left, he saw the Regaldis and their friends mourning off to a corner. He walked up to them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Regaldi…" he started. They turned their attention to him.

"I promise, I will return your son," he said. Max Regaldi stepped up to him.

"Please save both of them… I know you… Zach's friend…" Max said.

"Yes…" He started to leave. "Don't worry about me. Worry about your children more." He walked out the door and met up with the rest of the men waiting at the door of the building.

He had a long somber walk down the stairwell to the ground floor.

A bit more than a half a year ago, Zach sat down on the bus next to him. He didn't even think he would be the one responsible for endangering the sanctity of the world. That same day, he was assigned to sit next to him. Once again it was small talk.

But he had stayed nice to him as any person would be to a new person. Soon their friendship started to construct. Soon they became great friends and relied to each other. Kyle had earlier shared a taste of his strength of himself earlier to him.

Now he would have to muster up all that power again to save the monster that he had once called friend. Not only him, but the first one that he had claimed was his brother…

Kyle knew how close the two were. Brian was most likely trying to help him or something, but he instead was swallowed by the unmerciful rage of Zach's contradictory thoughts. He had seen them multiple times at football games and other events.

It was time to reunite a family. Reunite brothers, fathers and sons, and mothers and sons. Time to play hero.

…

Meanwhile, at the molten sanctuary, many pokemon were huddled around the unconscious Victini. Moltres was nervous, trotting about his room in the sanctuary. They had ordered Articuno to send him Glalies and other ice pokemon that were able to function under high heat and still use ice moves. Vic said he was overheating, and passed out. He was now lying on his stone bed, away from all the lava in the area.

An Misdreavous approached Moltres. She was a resident of the sanctuary, despite the fact that she was completely psychic.

"Moltres, sés juvu pleye tunah ícé pokemon pa ual yák. (Moltres, he's passed-out and the ice pokemon are at work.) Cron goja nos teirs yákel. (No progress has been made.) Eil veel nio do? (What will we do?)" the Misdreavous asked.

"Oés Regaldi… ("Is Regaldi…")" Moltres said to himself. Then, turning to the distressed Misdreavous, "Jron. (Nothing.) Noson znu dele ser ius. (Have them leave him alone.)"

"Yoi thoi Moltres, (Yes sir Moltres.)" she said. She left to leave him alone.

"It's Zach again… the reason why Vic cannot rest is because Zach cannot rest. Please… we need a savior before we lose Vic forever…" he thought.

…

"Alright men! For life! For freedom!" Jack O' Donnel yelled.

"For freedom!" the entire unit yelled. Kyle covered his ears from the whooping, and soon the doors open. It was like a battlefield. Demon citizens were flying in from all over while men and soldier fended off the invaders. Soon the enemies spotted them and swooped down. The men used attacks to fend off the demons and launched them back into the heart of the battle. The True-kno tower was only a mile from the hall of heroes, so the time would be short, but agonizing too.

Kyle spotted one flying in and used a shadow move from his soul that paralyzed the target and completely rendered them useless.

The pulse shot out right behind the soldiers, frightening them. The dark Valkyrie plummeted from the sky paralyzed.

"We should have someone recover whoever we neutralize. Can you call people to recover these people Jack?" Kyle called out.

"Can't do! We're already in the swarm!" he yelled back.

"Look out!" a Sceptile yelled. 10 of the demons ran in and assaulted the men. Fending them off, Kyle used a channeled Flamethrower to launch himself into the air and use a radiant dark pulse. The blast shot out, knocking back each assaulter. The men were impressed in how it didn't hit him, and how efficient it was in clearing the area.

More came into swarm. The men wanted to fight, but Jack urged them to continue on. They ran through the streets of the city. Abandoned cars and several other items were lining the streets. The corrupt people also lined the street, and many charged.

They needed to cut through an alley. It was a dead end. Cornered suddenly, several of the demons came in and picked some of the soldiers up. They were whisked off their feet and sent flying through the sky.

One had risked their own for Kyle. A demon came in and went right into Kyle's face. He did not avert his eyes, and almost started to stare into the eyes. A Machamp noticed this, and cut off his line of sight.

Out of rage, this same demon screeched, calling another rally of these evils. He was suddenly grabbed by the same Machamp, now demonized from the own craze. Looking over, he saw that everyone was making a break for it. They had forgotten him…

But Jack saw almost immediately the lack of a Zoroark. There had been 7 soldiers taken victim to the insanity within the mind of the demons. One of them the one that was about to claim him victim as well.

Jack had no choice but to shoot the soldier in his arms. He pulled out a pistol and shot the hands of the Machamp. The loud noise disrupted the several demons around, bringing in even more. Kyle used the loosened grip to slip out and shadow punch the beast.

It was ineffective, but it didn't matter. It was enough to make a quick attack rally him back to the unit of 43 men and allowed them to run.

Now it was a hot pursuit of life and death. The unit had lost another 11 soldiers, all claimed from a barricading group of the demons. Many were feeling the heat and some soldiers had started to lose hope. Jack used as much hope as he could while running through the crowds.

Now the tower was in sight. Kyle had narrowly been grabbed by a flying Sigilyph. The monster was just out of attacking range, so they had to stand still and use a ranged attack. It endangered several and forced the loss of two soldiers. The ranged attack stunned the flyer, allowing Kyle to pry himself from the tight grip. He fell about 30 feet until Jack used a fire bed to save him. He had to carry him like a fireman and needed to rely on his unit to protect him while he cared for the burns.

He had enough medical supplies to heal Kyle in the middle of the fray. The amount of trust he had in his unit was impressive considering the current task at hand. They managed to hold for 3 minutes since the soldiers guarded valiantly for their life. None were taken miraculously.

They were in Ascentia Square. The tallest buildings of Terra City were there, even still with the True-kno tower prevailing over the others, piercing the clouds. It was unusually barren in this area considering the swarms chasing them. This is also odd since the entire bringer of this havoc stood atop the tower that they have been going to.

Only about 27 soldiers remained excluding Jack. Many were exhausted and wanted to take refuge in the aqueducts in where no demons should be present.

The only problem in their way is that it required a considerable amount of power to access, nonetheless noise which seems to attract attention from the demons. The issue… was that there were no electric types in the unit. Kyle did not very much bother to practice electric moves himself, rendering them unable to do anything.

And yet the soldiers persisted that they need a break. The journey has been exhausting, as well as wrecking as many friends had been lost in this crusade. They had spent almost an hour trying to reach the tower, and Jack had not reported back.

Everyone agreed that they needed to open up the aqueducts. How?

Jack devised a solution, but it pained him. He would have to really pressure Kyle, but he saw a demon Raichu wandering the square. They had discovered that tearing off the wings was a rather inefficient way to try and purify someone. They were still unstable and could easily re-corrupt. It would keep them normal for a time, maybe half a minute, but after that or later they would go insane again.

He knew the only way to get this Raichu to fully power the machine would require him to be completely stable. Kyle was already dazed from the experiences so far. Jack had been carrying him through the rest of the run. Kyle was awake, but had trouble acting normally.

They gathered around the broken fountain undetected and placed Kyle on the bench. Jack spoke to him.

"Kyle, we need you to do one thing."

"…wh-what is it…?" the tiredness was very present in Kyle's voice.

"We can't rest until we get into the aqueducts. We need power to run the functions. None of us are electric. Do you know any electric moves?" Jack asked.

"No… Why do you need… me?" he asked, worn out. Jack was frustrated.

"Well, it's a push, but if you want to rest, we need you to fix that one Raichu. We saw how you fixed that Alakazam." Kyle groaned.

"I'll try, but we need a lot of time to rest. I'm exhausted…" Everyone thanked Kyle. They went over and picked up the Raichu abruptly. They faced away and brought the infuriated Raichu over to him.

Kyle channeled his power once more and entered the mind of the Raichu.

He entered in and the realm was a thundering land scape with two towers facing each other. The sky was black with lightning bolts crashing in from everywhere.

Kyle doesn't enter the conscience. Everyone has their own mental landscape that he has to intrude on. On a normal mind, this would be peaceful. But this disruption has ruined the land scape.

All people have different ones, but pokemon of specific types have very similar landscapes. Many other electric pokemon that are demonized probably are similar to this Raichu's fantasy. If it is psychic, no matter what the pokemon, it is a flat plane that is always at work and meditating.

Trees were flaming and it was clear that the conflict between the consciences were on top of the two massive towers. Kyle immediately teleported to the towers. He learned teleport through rigorous mental training. It would have saved him much time to just teleport there rather than run. It was at least 4 miles in distance, and Kyle can scarcely run that long. Be it, Zach, it would have been no problem.

All the meanwhile, Demon citizens were swarming the area hearing the screams of the Raichu who was chained to the ground, facing the ground. They had to use all their might to keep the rushes at bay, using as much defense as they could. Some lives had to be taken, but much more would be saved soon enough.

Four minutes later, it seems everything was hopeless from outside. Ammunitions were low, and the demons kept coming. They had claimed several lives, and have had to injure many more. More kept coming. They had lost more soldiers to the insanity, and many were tiring out.

They had to pray that Kyle could only finish soon so that this Raichu would become normal and open the aqueducts.

In the meanwhile, Kyle was getting tossed around by howling winds and red and blue Raichus. One was interested in all that he could accomplish on his own, the other with friends. It was a rather milder split, but the split was still enough to cause an issue, let alone this cataclysmic storm.

Kyle needed to find a way to render them immobile so that he could form the two back together. The lightning could work, but it would just channel more energy. He knew that the rain was no bother.

So he would have to use the howling gusts of the storm instead.

He saw a large gust of air while the Raichus were bickering over how they would triumph over Kyle, so he launched himself using a flamethrower.

Heading right to the wind, he used a custom move. He has engineered several custom moves himself. The one he used was redirect. It can change the motion of one thing so that it moves differently. He used this attack to change the path and knock the Raichus off their feet.

They went flying off the tower, and Kyle landed right in front of them.

He picked them up, and his hands started to glow. He channeled his power and soon the Raichus started to rumble and became white. Soon they reformed, and they were one Raichu again.

Back in the calamity, the soldiers were ready to break and give up, when hope arrived. The Raichu lost its demonic composure and asked for help. Immediately did Jack free him, and Kyle was passed out on the ground. Their group was reduced to only 6 soldiers now. Jack, a Rhyperior, a Gallade, a Gengar, an Ursaring, and Kecleon.

The 5 soldiers held their ground while Jack told the Raichu the plan.

"You! Yes, you! We need you to power that fountain! Do it now and we'll be safe!" he commanded the frightened Raichu. He had no choice, so he used thunder and started to make the fountain run. Soon Jack told everyone to stop and jump into the fountain area. No one heard except the Gengar, who joined them. Everyone else was locked outside, most likely demonized.

Now it was a lonely group of four. Jack explained everything to the Raichu, while the Gengar patched himself up with some of Jack's supplies. Kyle was still unconscious, but soon enough he would wake up.

The Raichu helped power a relay to the hall of heroes using a broken car radio.

"Attention all heroes! We are down to 4 men, only two of them soldiers. This is Jack, with private Jackson. This Raichu is Larry Steeler. Kyle is still here with us, just resting. We are in the aqueducts of Ascentia's fountain, safe from all harm. We are nearing the True-kno tower. Kyle, possibly Jackson, and I are going to be entering the building soon enough once Kyle is ready. We are amazed that we made it this far with several close calls on the way. Kyle will most likely need hours of rest before continuing, so salvation is not yet here. Some are dead, and will need to be accounted for, but we are almost there. Gods praise and bless us."

Soon the message was sent off to a radio somewhere in the hall. They would understand and hope for the best.

It was a good hour before Kyle woke up. He felt that he needed another 3 hours of sleep beforehand. They rested that time, becoming ever-so hungry. Jack and Jackson were accustomed, but the Raichu fared no better nor did Kyle. They had not thought of bringing food.

Jack still had his mind set on going up the tower. He allowed Jackson to stay back, and he took the opportunity. It would be a two-man mission to go up the tower.

After much anxiety and anticipation, Larry opened up the fountain. The crowd of demons had scattered. So long as they leave the few loners be, Kyle and Jack would have an easy time of entering the building.

As swiftly as a ninja, they slowly and eventually made their way to the entrance of the tower. Kyle cut a hole in the locked doors. It was electrically powered, and breaking glass would attract unwanted attention.

They removed pushed out the hole and removed the doors with a small crack. They held their breath as if it would gain any notice. As soon as they saw that no demons had noticed, they moved on through the pitch black building.

There were demons. It was abandoned. If anything, there would surely be more where Zach is, yes?

The elevator would obviously be out of service, so taking it would be pointless. Stairs were the only option. When they reached the floor, they saw a small number of demons. They weren't surprised that this building couldn't resist the force of this possessing.

Despite this, they silently sneaked around and eventually made it to the 59th floor after a toiling hour. Oddly, there were no demons here. On every floor, there were always almost the same numbers of demons.

They took the time and relaxed. The amount of sneaking and heart-pounding stealth maneuvers they've had to do was wearing them out. They looked and found a pleasing sight. A water dispenser! They zealously ran over and took a cone, filled it overflowing with water, and gulped it down. They had solved their issue of thirst. They were hungry too.

Kyle knew that workers often horded some sort of food with them, so he looked around for any loose scraps. He found a few bags of chips and snacks. He was fair so he shared a good portion with Jack, knowing he was an adult.

Contrary, Jack said he should have more for what he has done and what he is doing. Kyle had a high opinion from that statement, so thankfully accepted his offer.

Just then breaking in, a blue Gallade burst out of the closet, pistol in hand. He was nervous, careful of who he was aiming at.

He was slender, tall, and quite muscular. He looked young. He was around 20 years old, but it was hard to tell. He was trembling slightly, but looking with keen precision, obviously seeing that he won't miss if he shoots.

The two immediately raised their hands to be passive.

"We are not the enemy. We seek a demon Gallade at the top of the tower," Jack said. The man tilted his head.

"Just what are you talking about?" he asked, raising the gun. Kyle instantly recognized the voice.

"Brian?" he asked. Jack looked confused at Kyle. The Gallade slowly lowered his gun.

"Who are you?" he asked Kyle.

"I'm Kyle. One of Zach's friends." Brian lowered his gun, and breathed.

"Then we are not enemies. I should explain what happened here." Brian opened the door to where he was hiding. It revealed a pantry of delicious goods and common foods. "Help yourselves to whichever foods you want. I've only been in here for half a day, so I only ate small amounts to ration myself."

The two entered, and Brian quietly locked the door behind them. He turned on the light inside.

"If I am right, the Gallade you are looking for is my brother Zach. What do you want with him?" he asked interrogatively, suddenly pulling out the pistol he had, pointing it at them.

"W-wait! We don't mean to kill him!" Jack exclaimed.

"Why else would anyone come to this hell hole? It would be the only way to stop this easily," Brian countered.

"Brian. Get a hold of yourself," Kyle commanded him.

"I'm not letting you touch my brother. It would be easy enough to just get rid of every raider."

"You don't understand! This is an epidemic! The world is at stake! You-" Jack tried to argue, until Kyle cut him off.

"Right," Kyle said. Suddenly, Brian was forced against a wall, dropping the gun on the floor.

"Your brother isn't the only with any arcane abilities. I have some, and it's enough to free your brother, stopping this crisis without error."

"It's hard to believe you," Brain noted.

"Well then?" Suddenly Kyle disappeared suddenly in a purple flash. Both Jack and Brian were astonished.

"What the…?" Jack said.

"I have more power than you would expect. Trust me," Kyle said telepathically in their mind.

"How are you doing that?" Jack asked.

"Hmph… Fine… Just get out of here," Brian said. Kyle reappeared on top of Brian's head.

"Thank you. Your brother will be fine soon enough," Kyle assured Brian.

He pushed the two of them outside.

"Get out of here. I'm mad if you can't tell," Brian said through the door's vent.

He locked the blinds.

"That boy has some nerves," Jack said.

"He's a bit mad. Him and Zach are closer than anyone else." Jack nodded.

"My brother was important when I was growing up. I can understand their bond. Do you have any siblings?" Jack asked.

"No. The only one I could of ever had died before I was even born," he answered. Jack flinched.

"That's hard… Especially on your parents…"

"Yeah… They always grieve for her sometimes." Kyle seemed rather absent from that.

The rest of the journey was less eventful. Less demons remained on the rest of the floors, almost being none by the time they reached floor 98.

Soon enough, they found themselves just about to go onto the roof. The 103rd and 104th floors were storage rooms, so there were no demons there. The time was exhausting, but nothing would go to waste. All the people that had to have been put down, as well as everyone that was lost to the madness of the demons.

"I hope you're ready Kyle. Zach is far better than anyone normal… let alone in this form."

"I'm ready as I'll ever be. Stay safe general."

"Arceus bless you." After those words, Kyle opened the roof hatch and stepped outside onto the roof.

…

"_How do you hold… the special victim?_

_(Pause)_

_When they push you away?"_

_Line from the song Angel by Blue October._

…

The band Blue October is my favorite band btw. Such nice music… it's deep and meaningful too. :)

…

Kyle stood atop the roof as Zach stared out into the sky. The clouds rest below as the sun impeded on the tower. As the crown jewel of this country, whenever a low line of clouds come in, the True-kno tower is tall enough to raise above fogs. It is a majestic sight that sometimes employees are treated to when they do something phenomenal. The air is a bit thin, and a bit harder to breathe, but not to a troubling degree.

Zach turned around and saw Kyle. The dark eyes had changed when they laid eyes upon Kyle. Suddenly all the darkness in Zach temporarily receded into his spike.

"Kyle! Help me! Stopping me will end everyone's torment!" he yelled.

"I know! I need to enter your mind and settle your emotions!" Kyle answered.

"It's too late! It's cooooo-" he tried to say until his voice deepened and his previous body came back. He gave a deep laugh with a demonic tone.

Suddenly, an arm of fire shot out. Kyle protected himself and deflected the shot. Zach absorbed the fire and surrounded Kyle in a strangling of shadows.

Zach was really attacking an illusion, as Kyle jumped in from behind. Zach's wings easily deflected him and alerted Zach to the ambush.

He turned and grabbed Kyle. Kyle shot an eye. The ray of power yanked from him and obliterated the arm before him and knocked Zach from sight.

As the ground cleared, Zach seemed to lay passed out before Kyle, with broken limbs. Kyle was forced to use an extremely hyped up version of the hyper beam to disable Zach.

To his horror, his limbs reformed together in a matter of seconds. His face was slightly off center this time and no longer even. His demented demeanor was frightening.

Now his rage was activated and his power was more immense than ever.

A swarm of Tornadoes formed from thin and calm air and held Kyle in stasis, rendering him unable to do anything.

Zach flew right to the trapped child, and opened his eyes.

"Open your eyes and embrace the chaos!" Kyle did all he could to keep his eyes shut. Soon Zach started to force his eyes to open.

After seconds of cruel pain, Kyle had to open his eyes.

He could not avert his eyes from the deep and infinite black eyes that Zach possessed. Kyle felt the power within him slipping away, as soon his body's soul diminished into nothing.

…

Yes. I beefed this chapter a ton. Instead of the normal 10k words that I use per chapter, I added a fifth of that and just made it 12k words. As you can see, this is quite the cliffhanger and confusing problem.

As before, you will see just what happens now that all hope for pokemon has been lost. This story is getting really climactic, and we're only 3 chapters into the 2nd part! This is what happens when you have ridiculously long chapters!

So I definitely hope chapter 14 doesn't take this long. I took about 2/3 weeks to make this, and even longer if you count start to end considering I wrote like 1k words and died there. With everything that happened, the delay was inevitable like Valve inevitably delays meet the pyro.

I'm going to do 10k more words and a chapter for _the _new story I made. Those 10k are directed at a different story. :/ After that I will jump back to work on this new story WITH a plan for the next chapter.

I would be sooooo happy if you left a review/favorite/add to alert list. Please do so if you can, and I thank you if you do. The next chapter will be shorter and be up ASAP.

I am Deathlark, and I approve of this message (freaking politics ads suck).

~DTH~


	14. Chapter 14, Mind Games

Zach's Years: Freshman. Chapter 14, Mind Games. A Pokémon Fanfiction by Deathlark.

Author's Note: *Sigh*

Sorry, this took way longer than I expected due to constant interruptions, nonetheless a vacation.

**Also, give some love to inifinty-PROKNIFER69 to editing over this chapter to catch any mistakes he found.**

There really isn't anything to say, so enjoy the story.

**Dizcleighmurr: Hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr****idontownrightstopokemon****rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.**

…

Suddenly, I regained my sight, feeling something hard pounding on the top of my head.

I saw Zach trembling, kneeling, panting, and seemingly injured. I put my hand on top of my head, feeling the pounding stop, and eventually settling out.

As soon as it stopped, I jumped to my feet, then activating my dark power. I had to get serious.

I felt the power channel through every part of my body, and then to my fists. Zach roared with fury, and I charged at him. A blast of energy released at the first punch.

A small pulse of energy radiated. I jumped away and looked back. To my dismay, Zach had hardly been affected. He lunged at me and used an immediate close combat. I used protect to prepare a shot. Naturally, he used Brick Break to destroy the shield. When he did, I immediately punched him with a shadow gale.

The dark raven flew out from my hand, and launched Zach into the skies. I looked for where he would come falling from the sky. I targeted the position, counted down, and then launched myself using incinerate.

When I got to the spot, I tried to use an x-scissor, only to hit nothing. Suddenly, I felt a piercing pain rip through my back as a lance of pure dark energy went straight through my chest. I yelled in the agonizing pain, and started to slip away from sanity.

Abruptly, he took me off the lance, and used a hammer arm to launch me to the sky. He charged at me.

In a split moment, I twirled around and grabbed onto the lance. I used it to propel my legs into Zach, which were charged with energy. Another burst of energy released, and Zach started to fall.

He regained power, then flying again. I suddenly had to hang onto the lance which I started to slip off from. I saw about a mile of air beneath me, ending in solid concrete surrounded by hordes of the demon citizens.

It terrified me as I clutched on to the end of the dark lance, feeling more unstable and crazy as it went buy. When did the sky turn blood red, and why do I feel so close to the ground?

I felt my own mental grip loosening. Instinctively, I let go, thinking I could just land on the ground.

I immediately started falling, and I didn't realize I was falling right next to the True-kno tower.

Suddenly, a blue arm reached out of a window and grabbed me, reeling me into the building. It was Brian. He suddenly brought me face to face.

"It looks like you're having trouble," he told me. I panted. I nodded.

"He's too strong Brian… *Wheeze* It's impossible to do anything. I can't get him pinned down," I told him.

Brian thought for a second. He seemed to have a stroke of inspiration, then reaching into his pockets. He seemed to not find whatever he was looking for.

"AAAAGH FUUUCK!" he yelled, stomping on the ground. I jumped back a bit. It was extremely sudden. He punched the floor with a mach-punch. "RRRRRRRRRGGGGGG… Arceus, why!?" I tilted my head.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I had this- this pendant. It's a symbol of our early brotherhood… We keep it close to us, but I gave him it. If you could shine that in his face, you could surely weaken his strength by a great number…" He moaned.

I knew how dangerous it was to just try and walk up there and try to take something from his pocket. Considering I hardly had a chance to really do damage, it could be considered futile.

But I had some determination and courage still buried underneath my doubt. I would try and try, not matter how many times I fail, but I will still get whatever was in his pocket.

"I'll get it from him," I told Brian. He was still getting mad at himself for giving Zach his pendant. He looked over at me in disbelief.

"You would go and try to pickpocket a monstrosity?" he asked me.

"Not pickpocket, just take it and use it. That simple," I answered. He looked at me trusting. He nodded.

"Just make sure to give it back to me once you are done," he told me, putting his hand on my shoulder. I gently nudged it off, but I nodded. I walked off, preparing myself for the chaos ahead. That first part was the warm-up.

But how did I not get consumed by the insanity? Oh no-

Soon my entire mind went blank, and everything seemed to have been frozen. I soon entered my own mentality.

"Ah time flies by soooo quickly," the demon inside my head told me.

"Why now?" I asked, very mad about the situation.

"Ah don't be so hasty. I've come to tell you some things. Perhaps things you should know. Perhaps things you shouldn't. What will it be?" He moved right into my face with those blaring black eyes. I was never sure of what he was, but sure as hell he lived in my mind somewhere. He was a pain, and often didn't help, yet he seemed to know so much about the world and others.

"J-j-j-just tell m-me…" I stuttered.

"Ah don't be so silly," he said. He suddenly bit my neck the way he's done so many time before. I grunted in pain of the blaring feeling.

"Stop sucking the life out of me…" I grunted.

"Aww. Does the little baby Zorua need a band aid for his boo-boo?" I got mad.

"SHUT UP!" The realm lit up like fire in reaction to my resistance. It was the first time I've ever bothered to try.

"What did you say?" the voice echoed with a grimacing tone.

"I said, shut up." He was silent for a second.

"Very well then." Suddenly my lips couldn't come apart. I tried all I could to scream, and nothing would work. It was like they were fused together. "You said shut up, so I shut it up."

I rolled my eyes.

"Unsatisfied? Fine." I felt my lips rip open. It stung with terrible pain.

"Listen boy. What is it that makes you think something like me would ever be able to stand up to something like me? Is it some foolhardy braveness that is guiding you to your own death atop this tower? You ignore the doubt, the consequences, the death, the weight on your shoulders. Think of all that is weighing on you, pressuring you. And if you mess up, what happens to them?

They are gone. Never to be needed again, turned into mindless freaks that can only be killed with guns. Everyone you ever knew and loved and cared for will be forever forgotten. It will be a waste. All of it a waste. Your work, your trial, your pain, and everything else you've done, will all go to waste.

Your power- my power! -would have no purpose in this accursed world. You would be a wandering soul, cursed with the burden of having no friends, no family, no anything, but you, and me. All alone, always hunted, yet never being one of them. Never being gone.

How would that feel?"

I was crying on the ground, in emotional wreckage. Non-existing tears that faded away as soon as they grew.

"You son of a bitch…" I moaned under my breath. The large manifestation of him stepped forward.

"What do you say to that? You could just kill the child and everything would be over." The thought was tempting, but I couldn't dare kill Zach, seeing how broken his parents and his brother were without him.

"People need that kid though. People need me too. Someone needs you, I'm sure." The room lit up in anger again.

"No one has EVER needed me!" he yelled. He stomped his gargantuan foot right before me. "Why do you have the right to say anything about me?"

"Because you live inside my mind, and you can't do anything about it!" I yelled back. He roared in anger, then pressing his foot on Kyle.

"While I have you consolidated though, you are not conscious of the real world! You are my mental slave, and I can do what I want with you!" He started to ram his foot into me. So this is what it's like to be crushed to death…

He raised his foot off of me, and I took in a deep breath, gaining a punch of consciousness and regaining my thoughts. I got up slowly, and felt him push me onto the walls of the realm.

"You are not the boss of me…" I said it under my breath, knowing that he would still be able to hear what I said. His rage grew even more.

"What are you asking for?"

"Freedom from my torment."

"You will never be free. That was decided the day you were engraved with the curse."

"Then I'm going to get rid of you to break it," I said, readying a powerful attack.

"You think you can actually beat me here?" He laughed. Suddenly, I felt a powerful wave of energy fly over me, hurting me more than normal, and I kneeled over. "Kneel to your master. You cannot break me."

"This is my mind. I'll do what I can!" I used my power and started to shade out his eyes.

"What are you doing? You can't do this to me!" He roared, and countered by spinning the room. I knew that if I focused on a stationary object, I wouldn't get dizzy. I saw his premonition, so I kept looking at it while the room was spinning. I didn't get dizzy as a result. He became enraged.

"I am the holder of my mind! You do not own me!" He growled.

"Without me you are powerless! Nothing you were before!"

"I am something though, legendary or not!" I ran right up to him and smashed him with the fury of the shadowy power. He cried in pain, as it was something he had not experienced in a long time.

"…FINE! You wish to defy me? Than let us dance!" He appeared on the field. The hulking colossal demon took up half of the realm.

"You are wrong! The curse is permanent as long as I live! I still have access to your power even if you are gone!" I launched myself into the air, hammering down with a night slash.

He simply blew me away with a gust. It launched me into the air, and he used hyper beam. It hit me directly, and I was thrown on the ground with major pain.

"You cannot beat your own dark side… You can't conquer yourself."

"Well, I'll try!" I went again, this time into his face, hammering away with my shadow powers. The explosions went wild with their dark energy, and he made no noise.

I finished off with a giga-impact, then landing back on the ground, tired out from the barrage of attacks. He didn't move.

I saw the smoke clear out, and there he stood, no different from the start.

"I am your fears. I am your sins. I am all that you never wanted." I panted. "You can never get rid of me." I started cry, knowing that all this is futile.

I suddenly jumped back into reality, with me lying on the ground, with Brian and Jack looking over me. I quickly opened my eyes.

"Wha… What's going on?" I asked.

"You've been out conscious, screaming and crying on the ground. You wouldn't react to anything, and you just randomly woke up. What was going on?" Brian asked. I panted.

"Nothing. I need to get in there," I answered. I immediately got on my feet, and ran off without saying anything else.

I still don't understand him… He's never told me his name, never explained what he is, his past, and what he has to do with me, and what this curse is. He's never explained anything except that I apparently influence his every action, and vice versa. It doesn't make sense, and I can't figure anything out.

I've called him Elyk, as his actions are reverse of mine. He hates that name, and I've only mentioned it to myself. He can't read my thoughts although he is in my mind, and can never escape apparently.

I hate him… He messes with me too much and screws up everything. He torments me in my sleep without ever showing up, and haunts my dreams and nightmares alike. I could only wonder how anyone else with this curse could put up with something like him…

I neared the roof again, ready to try and go on this daredevil mission again. It was just different this time, and I knew what I would have to do.

I appeared as Zach kneeled on the ground, very mad at what he had done. He didn't realize I was still alive.

"Zach…" He turned and faced me. "I know you're in there somewhere. You are not a demon, and your intentions never meant for it all to end up like this." He growled, and said with the same demonic voice.

"Zach Regaldi is in the prison of his own torment. You cannot save him!" the demon yelled.

"You are not Zach Regaldi! You are a monster and a sin!" The demon growled, and lunged at me. I spun around and reached for his pocket.

He keenly gusted my arm away, trying to fling me off the side of the building again. I jumped back at him, smashing my head into him. He recoiled and shot off a beam of fire. I detected it, and swiftly moved out of the way, then trying to hit him with a shadow ball. He absorbed the shot, and used it back at me with the same power. I grabbed the ball, spun it around, and hit the ground beneath his feet.

The floor collapsed, and I jumped onto him I saw Brian and Jack standing there, shocked of what had happened.

"Run! Get out of here!" I told them. Soon Zach kicked me up in the air, and ran up to me with a seismic toss. During the grab, I used poison jab to catch him off guard.

He moaned, and countered with close combat. I was beaten senseless, and it hurt very badly. I probably would have lost if this was a school battle, but I know no mercy. He smashed me onto the ground, using close combat again. I protected myself, and replied with a night slash. I shoved him off, and used body slam.

Now on him, I tried to get an advantage using shadow ball, but he was too quick. He threw me off and used x-scissor, and that hurt very badly.

I tried to counter with a quick attack, but he shoved me off, and used hammer arm. I was already beaten up, and I hardly felt like going on.

I pushed myself further, being more defensive this time. I let him attack me with a mach-punch. I blocked the attack, and countered using giga impact. He was knocked back very far, and I had to take a breath before attacking again. While he was dazed, I ran up and stuck my hand in his pocket. I tried to grab the pendant, but he punched me back using focus punch. I felt the chain slip through my hands.

Out of rage and disappointment, I used giga impact again. To my dismay, he swiftly dodged it and used brick break behind me. I went flying, barely grabbing the edge of the window that I had broken. He lunged at me with his dark spear, and I flipped around. He flew out the window, immediately taking off flying. He came around, and used leaf blade.

I had to roll back into the building and narrowly evade that. I saw the glowing green arm brush right over my head, scraping my mane. It stung a bit.

While he flew over, I grabbed his leg and smacked him into the wall. I got right onto him when he was up against the wall, constricting him with my fist. I firmly held his neck against the wall, and made sure it was hard for him to move.

I reached into his pocket, and found nothing but dust. It was the wrong pocket!

He immediately forced me off with a roar. I was flown back by the sudden rush of power, and he countered by pinning me down with some kind of dark arrow. It was lodged in my chest, and I felt the same emotional disturbance.

I felt myself slipping away again, so I had to yank it out with my shadow power. I got up to see a hyper beam charged, and strike me right in the face.

I was ready to give up again, after feeling extremely sore from everything that happened, but I saw that I was exhausting Zach of his power. I had to keep up the work, and get this pendant. It's not in the left pocket, remember that…

I planted out of the ground to see him try and lunge at me with the lance again. I twirled around it, mustered up my courage, and used the lance for extra push. I smashed in harder with Shadow punch, and followed up with night shade.

Zach was dazed for a second, so I used the opportunity and hit him with dizzy punch. He had become dazed! Just what I had hoped for.

I zoomed in on his right pocket, and immediately threw my hand in there. I sifted around and grabbed hold of the chain.

Zach suddenly grabbed me, going to use seismic toss. I quickly yanked the pendant out of his pocket, and got out of his grasp. It was constricting, and left a bluish mark on my body for a bit. We were now on the roof.

I had rough landing, but I recovered. He came down, preparing another attack. I immediately showed the trinket.

Immediately he recognized the small item, and he roared in pain. Brian was right in that it would help. He clutched onto his head, and the real Zach flashed for a moment.

"HELP ME!" he yelled.

"Hurt yourself!" I called back. He didn't know why, but trusted me, and used a powerful hammer arm on himself. The demon side came back, very mad, now blood seething from his mouth. He was definitely looking weaker, with his wings sparking and tail fading.

He roared in pain, and only came at me with a mach-punch. This was way easier.

I quickly jumped over him, hitting him with a brick-break on his head. He yelled in pain, and I pinned him down using strength as an aid. He was squirming frantically. The obsidian black eyes were now grayish. They no longer disheveled me.

Instead, my eyes started to gain a purple glow, and I looked into Zach's eyes. Soon I felt myself going very deep, and felt very disconnected from my own body.

…

POV Switch

…

We trekked around nervously, and many others were paralyzed with fear. The demons had managed to break through the entrance, and we have to keep them at bay on the fifth floor; just two floors away from the hall.

Many were breaking down in nervousness, and all the figureheads were frantic with the danger looming underneath their feet.

I was listening keenly while Skit, Fray, Crow, Max and Megan were all in the corner hoping for the best. I was concerned for them, but my mind was more focused on what happened at the stairwell.

I could hear gunshots, yelling, screaming, and a few soldiers ran back to get aid from injuries.

Suddenly an eerie silence settled on the floor on the stairwell. My eyes twitched with suspense, and fright.

Suddenly, soldiers yelled and started to run up the stairs.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" they yelled. Immediately, everyone in the room scrambled to the emergency exit stairwell. I knew it was no use, as demons would already have the stairwell infested.

Instead, I was going to take a last stand. I immediately pooled my power and used surf to throw back a large mass of the demons. They kept rushing, and I had to keep up with using aqua tail.

The large swarm of them recoiled after that, and it seemed to be calm for a half a moment. Then they roared, trying to jump on top of me. I used retaliate and forced the majority of them off.

One demonized Venusaur flew out from the stairs, and hit me with a fully charged solar beam. I was thrown off my feet in the power of the attack, as it was far stronger than other attacks I've been hit by.

I recovered as soon as I could to find more demons trying to pounce on me. I saw Skit, Crow, and Fray helping me fend off the hordes of these beasts. Max was more concerned trying to protect Megan…

... Ugh…

Max lost his fighting spirit ever since Megan came along. I'm glad that they're in love, but it seems to distracting to him. He can't focus on his friends and what's important. He lost his skill due to the bloody Gardevoir…

It was noticeable that we were being overwhelmed. There were simply too many and they were too strong. Some of the figureheads had run, and some were trying to battle. A few had become corrupted, as with all the people trying to escape.

There was simply no way out. First Crow became demonized, and then Fray fell victim to a Dusknoir. Skit held out very long until he was taken down by an Infernape.

I soon found myself all alone, with Max valiantly defending Megan. All the figureheads had met their emotional demise, so it seems that this last effort of saving everything has failed. I assume that the massive delay in time can only mean that Kyle was unsuccessful…

While Max was fighting off, he used Giga Impact and threw away all the demons. He turned around to make sure that Megan was okay. She suddenly pounced on him, and was the one to turn him into a demon.

And with that, I was alone, tiring from every single hit and strike by this army. There was no chance…

And with that, every single demon stalled in time. They wouldn't move, and all fell down, becoming ragdolls, piling on the ground. None of them would move. Their eyes went from their cursed black to a bleak white.

I looked around not sure of what had happened. What was the source of all this?

…

POV Switch

…

I toyed with the pistol in my hand. I had never used one, and Zach had given it to me only for emergency situations. As the time passed by, I had an unusual urge to either shoot Jack, or Zach…

The tension is getting to me. Stuck in this tower with no one but a war crazy Typhlosion and my corrupt brother and his friend foolishly trying to save him. I felt like I had no way out, and as long as I could keep the spike from emerging from my head if a demon tries to corrupt me, I'll be fine. I looked out the window as I saw mass ensembles of demons swarm the streets and skies. They were flying by the tower, unaware of what chaos is taking place on top of it.

I kept tapping my foot and staring at the pistol. There were 5 rounds loaded. What you could do with 5 bullets…

I became more nervous by the second. I could see more demons flying higher in the sky. It started to make me worry that we were in trouble. Jack was asleep on an office chair.

I didn't like him. He was reckless, and dangerous. I can't believe he's a general in the army of the Avengers. People like him are supposed to be careful, precise, keen, and protecting of everyone else. Instead, he seems more like a solo soldier.

I could tell that he had the intention of killing Zach just from the way he talked. He was lying to Kyle just so that he would get the chance to shoot Zach… I swear it…

My head started to hurt. Not sure if it was stress or madness, but I knew that I needed to get out of here. I had a daring instinct to go up top and look for what was happening up there.

I knew it could end badly, but I hadn't heard any bashing for a while. I remember him smashing through and him telling us to run. We went down the next floor, and haven't moved since.

So I made sure Jack was sleeping, and I silently walked out. I made sure my steppers (shoes for Gallades) were not making too much noise, and I saw that no other damage had occurred.

I quickly ran up to the roof, and saw Kyle and Zach laying on the floor, mouths open, eyes open, and not reacting to anything. Zach still had his wings, his tail, the marks, and the horn, but just wouldn't do anything.

"So it is all safe," Jack said suddenly. I turned around, a bit surprised. He was standing there in his military jacket looking keenly at the two out-conscious teens.

"Yes… I can't believe Kyle managed to do it," I said, walking over and picking up my pendant. The V on it was glowing a bright red, and felt hot to touch. I clutched it hard, and put it in my pocket.

My instinct suddenly kicked in. I immediately turned around and used protect to stop Jack from shooting Zach… I knew it!

"Step away Brian. Your brother is a monster," he said. I nodded my head no.

"Kyle has this Jack! Don't lose confidence!" I yelled back. He looked extremely irritated.

"It doesn't matter. The power he just unleashed could easily happen again at any time! He has to be put down!" he argued back.

"No! He can control his power! Legions activated what he did somehow!" I desperately told him. He didn't believe me.

"There's no way some legions can get into Terra City. It's the highest guarded place in all of the land. Now move!" he yelled. I still held my spot.

"I'm not letting you kill my brother! You don't know what he's been through!" I yelled.

"I said move, or I will shoot!" I held my position, and got up a protection barrier. "So, we're going to do this the hard way?" He took out a different gun, and started spraying rounds at me. It was some sort of automatic gun…

My shield was weakening, and I saw that he had to reload the bullets. I used the advantage and took out my pistol, spraying rounds. The jolt to my fist was sudden, and I did not expect the recoil to be this strong.

The bullet was shot amok and hit the ground. I saw him taking aim again, and then pulling on the release. I immediately took evasive action and tried to use Kyle as a barrier. He knew that Kyle was important.

"Stop it Jack! This isn't necessary!"

"It's the only way to keep this world safe! I don't to have to kill you, but I will if you just let me do what has to be done!"

"NO! STOP!" He started to fire off the gun. I was unprepared and tried to jump away. Suddenly, I felt an array of piercing pain rip right through my legs.

I dropped onto my legs in pain. They hurt more than anything in my life! What kind of torture was this!?

The pain was unbearable. I dropped on the ground screaming in pain and grabbing my thighs immediately, as that was where most of the bullets hit.

Jack walked over to me, and shot more bullets using a different gun. They hit my arms and hips, causing the pain to become all worse. I started to cry from all the pain.

"S-s-stop…" I moaned through my teeth. He walked over to me.

"Why should I?" he asked, seeming very mad. I just realized something in his eyes that made me moan in terror.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled. The man took off his disguise, and injected powerful venom into me.

I saw my life flashing before my eyes. I struggled to try and stand up. My vision started to blur, and I passed out on the building.

…

I slowly crawled back into consciousness and see a dark city surrounding the world… It looked identical to Terra City, although the sky was pitch black. The area was dark and hard to see, and thick with a smoggy feel.

I used my power to get some better sight, and I could soon see in front of me. I couldn't use defog, so I could see about 20 feet away from me. (That's not very much)

I looked around, I was greeted by a patrol of guards. Their eyes were black, and their faces were demented. It was hard to tell what kind of pokemon they were, or if they were even a pokemon at all. It looked like a disfigured incarnate of actual ones, just more black and messed up.

"Stop there! Who are you?" one asked.

"That isn't important. Have you seen a Gallade-" as soon as I said the word Gallade, they opened fire on me. I was panicked and immediately dropped on the ground. I tried to use shadow force, but nothing would work… Am I without powers here?

I desperately used night shade and caused the darkness to settle in. I was invisible, so I used dig to only smash into the ground… My frustration built, so I dove in and used night slash. As soon as I touched the premonitions, they vanished into thin air. They never came back…

What on earth? What is this place? Why won't my exclusive powers work? I can go into the shadow dimension, and I can't use some moves… I'm so confused and powerless… Maybe Elyk was right…

I made sure my hysteria wouldn't get the best of me. I kept my mind focused on doing what was important. Rescuing Zach and stopping this calamity.

I wandered the streets, encountering more guards. I got in a tussle with one after I said Gallade again, so I decided I would just keep my mouth shut about trying to find out where Zach went.

It seemed like this place had been taken over or something like that. Wrecked buildings, guards everywhere, illusions enforcing of people to abide to the law… Zach would never do this, so who would?

I saw the True-kno tower again. I looked at it and had to enhance my night sight even more. My head was starting hurt after using this move 10 times…

It paid off though. Now I could see almost clearly, and I saw that the entire vortex of this darkness was coming from the top of the tower. Clearly something was adding up…

If everyone else had their emotions divided into two beings, what would Zach's be?

I thought hard. The first thing the Alakazam did when coming back to his senses was care for his family, and what they had to do with him… This clearly means his thoughts for others were dominant to the rest.

What would Zach's more dominant thoughts be? Hm…

Oh duh…

Paranoia. I remember when he was on the hype of paranoia, getting shocked at the slightest noise in the room. Whenever I shot a wasp at Luke, Zach would snap his head immediately to look what the noise was. It was really just the band releasing.

So I now I had some more contemplation. Surely the paranoid side would win. Even though most people had equalizing thoughts, paranoia and being thick-headed would be unbalanced. Come to think of it, maybe Brian had been demonized, but his balances had been so ridiculous that he simply jolted back to life…

Maybe with me too? What would be my most pre-do-

NO! NONONONONONO! DON'T EVEN GO BACK THERE!

… *sigh*…

God, keep yourself away from the past Kyle. That's just not right. You never think of _that moment _that _changed everything_. Must… separate self… from past…

Ugh…

I kept myself focused, but I didn't know Brian well enough. This was the second time we have met, other than one time that I dropped by Zach's to return him a book I borrowed. From the looks of it, he was very outgoing but very careful too, checking through the window before answering…

So maybe protection? Protection vs. recklessness would definitely cancel out. What else…

Bah, I can't think of anything. I just simply haven't entered Brian's mind. I may be able to get the chance, but right now? I'm already in someone's mind.

I kept looking around, and decided 'Screw it, I'll go to the tower.' I took off, avoiding each of these shadow-guards as easily as possible. They were somewhat oblivious to the fact that I was walking right behind them. I was also in the light…

Maybe this is sort of flip-flopped. If anything, you would be easier to see in the light, but for some reason, they always see me in the darkest places… Ugh, Zach, what kind of demented mind do you have? I never realized you were in this poor of a condition…

Now at the tower, I saw that there were no steps going to the top… In fact, there WASN'T ANYTHING GOING TO THE TOP!? WHAT KIND OF ASS BACKWARDS BUILDING IS THIS!?

Instead, I saw something different. I looked and saw a hatch leading to the basement of the building. It confused me, but that was all that was in the hollow building. How was the structure even stable?

I went to the wall and touched it, expecting to collapse. Instead, I went right through the wall, and fell through the floor.

I landed in a stone room that was very cold. It was dark too, and I tried to look around, but to my dismay nothing was working. I used flamethrower and lit up the room, warming it all the while. I found that the embers lasted, serving as some light. I looked around for something that would stay on fire, and found a torch suspiciously placed there. How did it get here all of a sudden? When I was using flamethrower, it was nowhere to be found.

Anyhow, I quickly lit it on fire, and carried it with me. Suddenly, the room was completely clear of the dark fog… just what was going on here?

When I came down, I saw a large hallway with many doors. About 10 in all… What were these? They had engravings on the doors. Some didn't even have doorknobs… Actually, all but 1 had doorknobs. There was also one at the end.

They were listed in order:

Hope, Care, Feelings, Confusion, Suspicion, Uncertainty, Fear, Power, Lust, Paranoia, and the one at the end was Justice.

This entire schematic was confusing me. Just what could all these random doors with names stand for? They can mean more than one thing, and not all of them seem bad… What the hell…?

…

I kept strolling around this hell-forbidden city, seeing massive piles of bodies. I had to tromp across them to head to the tower and see what was going on. The amount of people demonized frightened me… Was I the only one? What happened to the people that got to True-kno? Jack said they made it, but that was about it…

I kept walking through until I finally reached the entrance of the tower. I saw the windows smashed, and a smaller amount of out-cold bodies. I saw the fountain containing a pile of the demons.

I pushed them aside, and it revealed a hole. There was a demon Gengar and Raichu in the pit, once again, both out-cold. I remember Jack describing something about a Raichu in that one message…

It made sense to me now. The demons breached, and claimed their sanity. By the moment the situation started to seem bleaker.

I went through the tower to see broken items and trashed treasures. Very few demons were found. I guess not many people were occupying the tower when all this occurred.

Nearing the top, I was feeling tired, and wished that the elevator was working. I have no idea how many floors this tower was, and I certainly didn't want to pay attention. I was certain I was near the roof now…

After another 10 floors, I felt ready to give up, when I heard some shouting. I quickly ran up the stairs, hoping to see something. As I got up the next stairway, I heard an array of gunshots, probably an sub-machine gun.

I heard a pistol shot too, so I started to dash up, and placed myself on the hole in the ceiling. I looked up and saw nothing, so I went for the stairs.

"S-s-stop…" someone said above me. Huh?

"Why should I?" asked a man.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the other man yelled. Suddenly, I heard a gag, and a sigh of relief. I just reached the top of the stairwell to see an unusual sight;

A luxray, two Gallades, and a Zoroark. The Luxray was standing with a paw-gun in his hand, looking like it was an SMG.

I recognized all but the Luxray. One blue Gallade, one red one, and the Zoroark I had seen not so long ago. It was Max's children, and Kyle, the one sent to fix this all.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I asked, very commanding. The Luxray turned around, SMG on the ready. I didn't care. I knew how to avoid these guns.

"Why does it matter to you- you, um, creature?" he asked, unsure of what I was.

"I'm a Samurott damn it, and what do you have to do with these kids?" I asked, trying to figure out everything about the weird situation.

"Just leave the world be. The hell of this infection has taken my friends, so I will take the source of it," he replied, aiming the gun at Zach. I knew he was a legion.

I quickly used Aqua Jet, and smashed him out of the way. He quickly recoiled, just before falling off the building.

"You son of a bitch!" He started spraying the SMG, and I put up a water barrier, dulling the bullets and causing them to merely hop onto my skin and roll off. He was frustrated, and used discharge to shock, not only everybody, but try and shock me. I quickly reflected, shocking everyone again, and hitting the Luxray, slightly dazing him. It was enough, so I body slammed him, pounding him and immobilizing him beneath my body.

"Get out of here. You have no reason in this legion man!" I scolded. He used thunder punch. It shocked me, so I jumped off, slightly acknowledging the electricity. I brushed off the little jolts of pain, and used hydro pump. He became immersed in the water, and immediately frustrated. He tried to get up another electric attack, but before he could, I used Aqua Tail, and he went flying. He barely grabbed onto the edge of the tower, and pulled himself up immediately.

"FUCK YOU!" He charged at me with a Volt Tackle, I dodged to the side, twisting his tail swiftly with my helmet. He was immediately caught, stalling the attack. I released him, flinging him very high up.

He prepared for the impacted, and narrowly turned to avoid the attack I was preparing. He used thunderbolt, and hit me directly. The stinging electricity ran too strong through my body, and I could no longer ignore it. This guy was stronger than those I've met.

I kept it up by using protect to deflect more attacks. He followed up using a gun, forcing me to use protect again. I one shot fly by and deflect of my helmet. It dented it a bit, making me furious.

I don't like my helmet being dented! I don't know why, but it makes me mad as hell! I got crazy, charging straight at him. To my surprise, he jumped on me, and used thunder fang. It paralyzed me, so it was going to make this fight a hell of a lot harder.

I was underestimating this man. He's upper class!

I decided to make sure no more denting of the helmet would occur, so I used water gun to knock off his SMG. He still had his pistol though, so I may have to get close for that one.

I charged in with a head-butt combined with a water gun to make it stronger. He anticipated the attack, sliding under me. I blocked him with my bottom right foot, causing him to get stunned. I used my horn to get his pistol and throw it off the building. He became mad, knowing his lethal tools were now forfeit.

He charged at me, and I jumped in the air to appear to body slam him. He prepared a discharge, but I soon turned into an aqua jet, dodging the blast. He's electrocuting everyone… I can't let him do this, otherwise they're going to die.

I rushed back down using the aqua jet's momentum to have a stronger impact with dragon tail. I'm trying to fling him off the tower, but I'm not sure how well that will work. The impact surely knocked him back, but he did not come close falling off.

He saw what I was doing, and was frustrated with the fact that he had few attacks that knocked back except for volt tackle, which was a sparingly used attack. I wanted to use blizzard, but I reminded myself that this was protecting the three of them again…

Instead, I used ice beam after a misleading charge for a hydro pump. He expected to swiftly electrocute the stream of water, but instead, he gets an instant ray of ice.

It was a direct hit, and part of his head froze. He was mad, and shook off the ice. He started to run at me again, and this was when I used water pulse after performing an elaborate move. He was confused due to this, and I took my time to charge a hyper beam.

Just a second, and…

I shot off the massive beam of energy, and let it do its work. I aimed it so it wouldn't hit Kyle, Brian, or Zach.

The smolders cleared, and suddenly, he was gone! Where on earth could he have gone?

Suddenly, an enormous shot of pain slashed through my body. I plopped to the ground, bested, and now unable to fight…

"…how…?" I moaned.

"There are many things you don't know about the legion, many things…" He then threw me off the edge of the tower.

I quickly angled myself, and stuck my horn on my helmet in the glass. I used all my force until I could fling myself inside.

I did, and I skid across the building. I was tired out… There was no way I was going to climb those steps to get back to him… just no way…

…

I kept thinking over and over again, trying to figure something out, and what these doors meant. I didn't want to open up the hope door, unsure of what would be in there.

I first thought that it all had to do with paranoia, but then I realize it made less sense than I thought it would be.

I thought even more abnormal things, until I decided to give up. I have no idea how Zach's mind works, considering the bizarre displays I witnessed along the way here. Like I said, it seemed like the old world that Zach had must have been very messed up and hurt… The condition of the buildings showed me the condition of his mental state…

The fact that they were poor meant he was crumbling away with his emotions… He definitely needs some sort of help to keep him working…

I knew my mission well, so I knew what I would have to do. I took a deep breath, and exhaled, gathering my confidence and bravery.

I turned the wheel on the door, and opened it up slightly. I peered through the crack in the door.

I saw a large, spacious and empty room excluding the one thing in the middle. I didn't recognize him at first, but I saw a small little creature in the room. I didn't recognize the shape…

It was sort of a white ball with feet, with a cheeky face and large V ears. He looked around.

"What are you doing here Zach?" he asked.

"I'm not Zach… who are you?" I asked, confused of what he was asking…

"Don't be ridiculous…" I tilted my head. "Wait…

You are not Zach… Who are you defiler?"

"I am Kyle… Who are you?"

"I am no one. Why do you impede on this very mind?"

"I need to know where Zach and his opposite are."

"There is no opposite. There is only Zach, and the darkness." I was a bit confused…

"The… darkness?"

"You do not know of the darkness!? Clearly you are lying! NO! YOU ARE-"

"Get a hold of yourself… Explain to me what all this is."

"NO YOU ARE ONE WITH THE DARKNESS! I CAN SENSE IT… Come heathen! I shall purify you from your torment!" He came at me, his hands glowing.

"Look, I don't know what you're doing, but I'm here to help-" He suddenly casted a large shot of fire, and I was thrown back onto the wall.

"You can never help anyone! You've never done anything good! I hope your burn in hell!" He ignited the room, and my feet immediately started to burn. There was nothing I could do; the entire room was on fire!

In a ditch effort, I used a shadow ball on the bugger… As soon as it hit, the flames immediately died off, and he cried in pain.

"YOU BASTARD!" He used flamethrower, and I swiftly dodged it. He knew that all his psychic attacks would be futile in trying to hit me. I swirled around with some momentum, and caused myself to be enwrapped in a vortex of fire.

I charged at him with a night-slash, figuring it would be more effective.

He once again dodged it, and followed in with another flamethrower… is that really all he can do?

I kept up the barrage for minutes until he finally gave in. The room started to suddenly rumble.

"Get away from here. This is my fate…" I looked at him, realizing he was going to realize that he would die… whatever the hell he was…

I got out of the room, and it immediately crumbled away. The door lost its knob, and instead, care gained a knob…

So it's a chain of events. This is going to be long and tedious…

I opened up the next door, to see an open room again. A Gardevoir stood in the middle this time. I did not recognize her, but I assume it was someone important to Zach if it were anyone. I assumed it was his mom.

"Welcome home sweetie. How was your day?" she asked.

"I am not your child. I am a stranger intruding in your world," I told her flatly. She looked shock.

"You aren't him- go! Get out of here!" I tilted my head.

"Don't let them hurt my baby!" I stood there, a bit dumbfounded from the lack of logic she had.

"Who's here?"

"No, no! Leave! Please! Don't hurt my child!" I was confused. I came closer, and bumped into something invisible. I was completely confused. I kicked the child, and she kneeled to the invisible thing… "You monster…"

She got up suddenly, striking me with an ice punch. I suddenly felt the cold pain rip through my stomach.

"Bastard…" I countered with a quick night slash, and she cried out in pain. I learned not to care about these cries a long time ago.

She faked tears, and I continued with a night shade. She yelled further, then figuring it out that I was a bit too merciless to be caught off guard by some tears.

She then got back in the fight with a thunderbolt, catching me off guard. I took the blow, and leapt in with a night slash. She simply wasn't strong enough to fight well, and she was thrown off and knocked out. I felt the familiar crumbling.

"Please… just leave me…" I nodded, and left the room.

Two down, 9 more to go.

I went over to feelings, unsure of what to expect. I couldn't tell who could be in there if each one of these people were supposed to be someone important.

I ignored my uncertainty and continued forth. The room was, once again, empty except with John Johnson in the middle… I assumed this was a mental illusion, but I would still have to deal with him anyhow.

"John?" I asked.

"Yes?" He turned to see me.

"Kyle… You don't belong here. Get out." I shook my head no. "I told you. Get. Out. I need to be alone." I stood my guard. He got up, a bit irritated. "GET OUT!"

"I will not budge." He tried to shove me out, but he couldn't even tip me over. His anger got the best of him. Just what I had hoped for.

I immediately deflected the focus punch he was using, and I countered with a shadow claw. He growled at the pain, and came back with a mach-punch. I twirled around the attack, striking him in the back with another shadow claw.

He used flamethrower, so I did the same. He had a powerful flame, but I knew how to keep mine up. After a 3 minute standoff, he tired out, and my flames soared through.

He was dazed by the fire, allowing me to come in for a sure-fire giga impact. It launched him to the end of the room. The once again familiar crumbling started to act up. There were many of these guys, and they were sufficiently tiring me out, even after 3 of them.

I knew this was going to be long and toiling…

The next one was confusion. I could fear that this one would be a bit more dangerous than the rest, so I proceeded with caution this time.

In there, I saw a lean Gallade; it was his dad! It looked very close to him… the only question is why is he here in the confusion chamber?

How can Zach be unsure of his own dad? Is there something wrong with him? He was one of the civilians to make it to the building, but I'm not sure if he became demonized.

I cautiously entered, and he seemed to be standing there, motionless.

He suddenly jerked his head around, and turned his body to view me.

"Leave. Now. You should not be impeding on my work, Zach," he said, very straight.

"I will stay here. I am not Zach either, rather his friend."

"So you're one of his friends… Ugh, just leave please. I can't have you in my office."

"I'm not leaving." He looked me in the eye, very irritated with how I was treating him.

"Look kid, what will it take to get you out of here?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'll be here as long as I want." I added a snobbish accent to my voice. I was pushing the boundaries of his rage.

"J-j-go!" He tried to shove me away, and I held my ground. He was infuriated at this point, and then used mach-punch to get me to move. I jumped around the punch, and hit him with a shadow claw. He moaned at the punch.

We exchanged attacks, and I came out on top with a shadow ball. It was easier than other fights, but it dragged on a bit. I put it flatly, in that it was easy, it took longer than others, and that the same crumbling room thing occurred… I'm noticing a bit of a pattern.

It's now onto Suspicion. I had a good idea of what to expect, and maybe even myself appearing in this room. Ever since I displayed my actual fighting style, he's been a bit different towards me. I'm a bit nervous… how would I fight myself?

My concerns were laid to rest though. When I entered, I saw the man that was a species I never knew… His name was, Oscio, right? I think so. I know he is crazy powerful, so I'm a bit scared.

He was muttering something to himself… it sounded like a foreign language. I sure as hell couldn't understand any of it.

"Oscio…?" I asked.

"Gehr? Vons pa nzu?" (Sorry, no translations on purpose! See if you can figure it out!) he asked. What the hell? What was he saying?

"What?" I asked.

"Yehr! Vons pa nzu?" he asked again. I stood silent. "Se Arceus lek… VONS PA NZU?" I just oddly tilted my head, confused of what he was saying.

But from what I assumed, he was trying to ask who I was… It was a hunch, but I'm not sure.

"Erm, vons pa Kyle…" He squinted at me, shook his head.

"Roi, nzu." He pointed at me. Nzu mean, 'you'. Okay… so who are you?

"Nzu Kyle…" I was still really confused. I guess this is what it was like for all people trying to translate languages.

"CRONTOZIS ROI! NZU!" he pointed at me. "CRO HYO OSCIO!" Cro must mean I… hyo might mean 'am'. Oscio is his name… Let me try.

"Cro hyo Kyle." He nodded.

"Kyle…" The room started to shake. I wondered what it was. Suddenly, I was thrown out of the room…

What just happened? The wheel disappeared, and instead appeared on uncertainty… Arceus, I'm so damn confused…

I guess I just ignored it, and I went the door. It seemed that this was getting more bizarre by the moment, so I just remembered to not let hysteria or nerves get the best of me.

Uncertainty sent some chills down my spine though. It just sounded like a feeling that could result poorly… I feel uncertain just about entering this room. Stupid mind games.

When I entered, I saw a Scizor… Wait a second… I think I know who this might be.

I remember early on in the school year, a Scizor nearly killed Zach due to him messing up Zach's spike.

There was no question. That's who this was. His name was Tucker. I know he is strong, but I'm more worried if I can put up a fight against him.

I wonder why Zach would find uncertainty him. Surely he knew the entire thing, right…?

"Hm? Who's there?" he asked. I saw that his armor looked really sparkly on the front… uh… what?

I decided to give a small little way to test the strength of the armor. Using the darkness in the room, I managed to punch him and back away into the corner. Due to my all black fur and skin, he wouldn't see anything but my eyes, mane, and teeth. Even then, I had my mouth closed, eyes squinting, and mane to the back of the wall. Thank Arceus I had dressed in all-black today.

"WHO DID THAT!?" The armor on the front was hardly dented, and I had given more than enough power to dent it. They could easily re-fix it, but it pisses off Scizors if their armor gets dented.

He looked around, very keen on finding something. Only illumination would give me away. I was invisible otherwise. "I know there's someone here…" He crept around, coming close to my face.

He just lost effort. I saw what this meant. Do attacks from the back. Be anonymous and hard to find… It's just that he actually is very good at finding things. He heard me breathing and crept around my area first. It would be hard just to walk up to him.

I would have to make do though.

I snuck around to the back corner of the room. I slowly crept in to his back diagonally. It would be easier to retreat if he manages to hear me.

I held my breath, and made sure my steps were as silent as possible. Just a bit closer, and…

Point-blank-from-behind-flamethrower! Heheh!

He yelled in pain, and went down fried like a bug. The room did its same shaking routine. I guess I have to clear each room somehow, most of them by beating the person inside. I think these may be incarnations of what they are listed though… Definitely come to think of it. Incarnations of Zach's thoughts. He must not even know about this.

Now I went to fear. Zach's own being of fear. I couldn't imagine what this would be considering all the grim things he's seen. I would think Tucker would have been this one, but I guess not. Maybe Zach knows less about himself than he thinks.

I span open the wheel, ready to take on what was inside. What I saw was nothing…

Uh… huh? Where is the guy?

I looked around, and then activated my dark-vision. From there, I saw that there was a man hiding in the corner. It was hard to make out what he was, but it was clear that it was he was a Luxray.

I was not sure of just who this Luxray may be, but I could get thinking that he was something that scared Zach.

"You are smart enough to see me… You are worthy of a fight then."

"What!?" It was sudden, and he roared out of the shadow with an enormous barrage of attacks. I had to barely dodge each attack. He was quite fearsome, I had to admit.

I brought myself back with an onslaught of consistent attacks, weakening him. He kept using all these menacing and flashy moves that would make me sit there in awe… But I can't sit there in awe…

I'm in a fight for fucks sake. It's scary enough that I have to fight someone that wants to kill me. I'll keep up my confidence despite what displays he uses.

And these displays are cover-ups. They're really just over-flashy attacks that didn't do much except the normal attack. I guess this is fear for a reason; unreasonable emphasis.

I beat him easily. After I got a hold of the situation, it was very easy. The room shook, the Luxray groaned, and I ran from this hell-hole.

Now there was power, lust, paranoia, and justice. This is taking forever…

I was interested in what power could turn out to. The Luxray was a display of false hype. If there is some sort of technical display here, then I need to decode the trick once more. Freaking mind games…

I entered and I saw a very recognizable face. The hardened and rusted face of an Aggron that had passed away.

A.J. Ron. He was assassinated… I didn't know that there was some impact from him on Zach.

"You there. Yes you. What are you doing here? I have important work to attend to," he flatly asked.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Work. Someone like you is not allowed to know what goes on in the world of the Figureheads." My voice was naturally deep.

"But, you do not recognize your fellow figurehead?" He looked at me intently.

"You do not seem like him…" I started to ramp up the impersonation. Don't be intimated by his role…

"Don't speak such nonsense. What about the discussion of Zach Regaldi's health again?" He seemed to feel that I was educated on the subject, so somewhat trusted me.

"Well, he seems to be able to live despite the collision with the helicopter. The doctors are still looking on how even managed to live."

"I see. Maybe it was the infrastructure on the helicopter per chance?"

"Perhaps. The helicopters we possess are not as advanced as those that the Legion possess, but ours are less oriented for safety."

"Was there a roll cage installed on this one?"

"There was… Hm…"

"I'll run a memo to Jack that he needs to get some people to inspect the integrity of the roll cage. It may just explain anything."

"Okay, do it quickly. I need to get to the bottom of this." Similar to what happened in the suspicion room, it started to shake. Ron kept to himself while the room shook from side to side.

I quickly got out, and the wheel transferred over to lust. I'm not sure why lust was so high on Zach's priority considering he tends to disassociate with girls. Specifically Alexis…

Maybe he's trying to cover up some lustful urges? That would be interesting. He's rather in control of himself at times… but then again… the paranoia attacks…

I set my mind forward, and quickly wheeled out the door, stepped into the room, and shut it behind me.

And immediately I was caught off guard. I saw Alexis sitting there in a rather inappropriate position, no clothes on whatsoever, dress lazily at her sides. Damn it, Zach's a pervert after all… This is why it's his second most concerned thing apparently.

She immediately covered herself when I walked in.

"W-w-wha!? Don't look at me!" She squealed and covered herself with her arms, running to the darkness of the room.

I wasn't sure what to think. I'm not sure if these were Zach's lustful urges or feelings. He often rants a lot on how he doesn't like Alexis, and he seems to make that clear. He doesn't lie either when he says that.

Hm… I do see him in rather _awkward _stances sometimes. Possibly hiding a boner? I have no idea. I'm not Zach… and I'm glad that I'm not.

It's clear here though that this was another trick room. There was some trick to this. I have to think though.

And damn it to hell! This is easily to hardest of the trick rooms yet… I never thought to really ever think what Alexis would like with her clothes off, but now that it's done, there's something so tempting to it. I had to forcefully cover my eyes to make sure I wouldn't get any urges.

I needed to reinforce myself that I could ignore it like the feelings of power and everything else. Don't get attracted… don't get attracted…

It would be hard to keep a straight face. I would have to make it.

I perked my head up and put on a game face. I went over to her.

"Alexis, what the heck are you doing with your clothes off?" I asked.

"I s-said don't look at me!" She slapped me in the face. I took the hit, knowing it wouldn't do me any good to grab her arm.

"Look, just- is there anything I could do?"

"Get away from me!" She started to run. I made sure I wouldn't grab her. That would make it all worse. She kept running around.

I thought of a convoluted idea that would leave me fighting awkwardly for the rest of this… oh jeez you have to be kidding me.

Is there another way? …

Nope. Definitely not. Well, I'll have to hide my shame, but it's the only way I can get through this.

"Alexis hold it. You don't have clothes. Just take mine, I don't need them anyhow." She turned to stop and look at me for a second, covering herself all the meanwhile.

"Y-you would d-do that?" I raised my shoulders.

"Sure." She timidly walked over while I took off my shirt and black pants. She put them on. She sighed. Well now I was dressed in only a pair of boxers with a dent in them due to an involuntary erection. "Eheh…" She sort of stared at my dick. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't get your hopes up." I started walk off, and the room started to do the same shaking.

As soon as I got out, I crashed on the ground.

Holy fuck I did not expect that last room to be what it was like. Only now do I realize why Zach has this so high on his concerns list. It's hard not to get a little flustered when next to a pretty girl, let alone next to one who's naked, AND super-hot.

I slapped myself in the head to punish myself for that humiliating display. Other people could have easily done that room… I guess just having this teenage-growing-hormone issue just messes things up and makes me more need for sex… I knew I shouldn't have had sex with Lily in 8th grade… ugh…

What was next? It was the last one before the end… paranoia. I didn't like the sound of this. Paranoia has always been a bit synonymous with Zach for some reason. I remember the time he was getting those paranoia attacks. I was a bit scared just to walk up to him and ask how he was doing at times. It put me on edge a bit to see him that way.

I was very scared of this room though. What also scared me was that this wasn't the most concerning thing to him. Judging by his past and his feelings, I would think this would easily qualify for the top.

I slowly opened up the door to the next room. Fighting someone else's embodiment of paranoia inside your best friend's mind while in boxers. This just sounds ridiculous…

And to think it's to save the world. I can't believe what's happened to me in this day.

As I looked inside the room, a chill went down my spine. I saw an Absol in the middle of the room. The leader of the dark legion. Avengers hardly knew his name. Exclusive to the figureheads. He's the one causing them all the trouble.

Had Zach actually met him somehow? I doubt it, but there has to be some connection…

"You… Zach… What are you doing here?"

"I am here to vanquish you."

"After all that I have done to you Regaldi?" I clutched my fist, stepping down my foot first.

"I am not Regaldi. I am Kyle Argonish. Get out of here." He laughed maniacally.

"It is a shame I don't have guards trying to take you down…" The room started to shake already.

What…? I got out of there ASAP, but it actually legitimate. Oh god I am so confused… I don't even understand some of this anymore.

But, the wheel came off and on again, this time to the last door. Justice.

I prepared myself for the worst, gathered my thoughts, and unscrewed the wheel. I walked in, ready to face what lay in the deepest trenches of Zach's mind.

…

Okay everyone. Yes this took over a month to make. Yes, I procrastinated a bunch. YES I WROTE OTHER STUFF! YES I WENT ON VACATION!

Oh god, I am so sorry about how long this took. It really should not have been this long, but now that I have done it, I am relieved. I need to do some reserve story writing, nonetheless a chapter for my new story. However, I am taking a break from TF2 writing and just nailing this down as quickly as possible.

I promise that chapter 15 won't take over a month to come out, and if it does, you can sufficiently whine at me in the reviews! I am sorry if that happens!

So I'm heading off! I'll get that next chapter up as quickly as I can. Please leave a review or fav the story if you liked it.

Gute nacht. (Good night in german)

~DTH~


	15. Chapter 15, Juggernaut

Zach's Years: Freshman. Chapter 15, Juggernaut. A Pokémon Fanfiction by Deathlark.

Author's Note: Well, I finished this in under a month, so you can't whine at me in the reviews. If you do, then that just proves to me you like shenanigans. ^^

Also, this is an unusual chapter, but I really like how it ended up in the long run. Hope you enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to pokemon.**

…

As I peered through the door, I saw not a room, but a whole new world… Was this Zach's true mental realm? Could the city really just be an infection poisoning him? How did this all happen?

There is nothing in the world that can force you to go into your own mental realm. Not even the most ancient lords of darkness and ultimate torture can completely conceal a mental realm.

So if nothing did… what could? Emotions cannot collapse on themselves. They only go darker and darker; until they are pitch black in which it is nearly impossible to enlighten them again. What if emotions went darker than pitch black…?

I could imagine a deepness so bleak that you can never come out, and never repair it. It envelopes all that comes into it… A harrowing thought…

Zach's world was twisted. The ground was warped, and the gravity only acted to where the ground was. The spiraling vortexes of earth and everything with it corkscrewed through this space. The empty voids that filled the holes were deep and black, like all mental voids. Everyone has some types of mental voids… but usually they're a lot vaster. Zach's world is large and clustered… Extremely large even compared to the smartest of psychic types like Alakazams.

The voids I saw though seemed to be eating at the very ground of the world… This meant Zach's mental state was deteriorating. If this wasn't fixed, he would go mind-dead in about 3 years. That hasn't really happened though, or it isn't possible. There's always one little slip of mental power, even in those nearing their demise, mentally and physically.

This realm was twisted and frightening. I saw statues of people lining the world. They all represented important people to him. These types of idolizations frequently appear in fighting types. Many look up to those greater or more powerful as an idol… Although Zach is stronger than most people he meets. Yet there were still many idols, so I assume that meant it was more aimed towards people that were important to him.

I saw a blue Gallade statue, representing his brother, a statue of a Gardevoir and a Gallade, easily representing his parents, that same weird white thing that I found in the first room of the gauntlet, and so on. I actually saw me representing a respectful friend that is understanding. Aw, that makes me feel better about myself considering the shit I've done…

The world seemed barren, and the twisty landscape started to give me a headache. I considered using aura sight if it got too out of hand, but I fear that may make it worse. However, I did see some monuments that were twisted, including a great mountaintop. Once again, the mountain is common to see in a fighter's world.

I knew something was important due to the large stormy clouds forming there, so I set out to see just what is going on.

After a hefty trek and coming across multiple scars of war, I reached the foot of the mountain. I saw several guards around the mountain, all shadowy and resembling those that I saw in the city world. Less disfigured though, and all seemed similar to the demon version of Zach, with the golden horns, shadow tail, and shadow wings. I could see the corruptness radiating off of them.

I admit, they seemed more menacing and actually larger than the ones I saw in the city. I did feel a bit intimidated by the sheer size factor… but then again, there was that one room in the gauntlet that was just all flashy… Eh, I'm going to stick to the assumption that these guys are stronger.

The mountain seemed very hard to scale. Steep ledges, narrow paths, sometimes even borderline impossible to cross, making it really frightening. I was worried if I was even able to make it, but I feel like there's a connection to Zach's suffering and the tempest at the top of this mountain…

I wanted to help Zach. I had to keep that in mind.

I gathered my wits and started slowly shimmying across the narrow ledges of the mountain. I used my claws to help from falling or slipping.

Now carefully, around the ledge that is just large enough so that only your heels can stand on it… Slide right, bring left, slide right, bring left, repeat…

I repeated until I was already a good height up on the mountain, at about 3 stories above the ground. The ledges were keeping me on high alert, and I almost slipped off at one point. I barely caught myself by nailing my claws into the side of the mountain. I saw my feet dangle over the edge, and it took a good bit of charisma and willpower to get them back on.

I made it to the first of those plateaus of ice that had a demon Gallade on the ledge. The Gallade's voice was deep, menacing, and demonic.

"WHAT HAVE YOU COME HERE FOR, OUTSIDER?" he grimaced. He formed a large dark lance from thin air and poked me with it. I didn't feel the same usual feeling of insanity coursing through my body, but I still felt unnerved by the sheer mass of this guy. He pressed in the massive lance to intimidate me further, but I kept up vigilance and answered him flatly.

"I'm here to understand what's going on the top of the mountain," I answered. He struck the lance into the ground.

"NONE SHALL PASS THAT WISH TO ENTER THE RITUAL!" I shook my head. I swooped in and used a night slash. He growled in pain, and tried to lunge at me. I swirled around and used shadow claw. It would do the most sufficient damage out of all these, but I knew that other attacks would also work fairly well.

I was concerned on using fire attacks because I was standing on an icy mountain. Melting stuff would surely go bad for me…

I hopped on his lance and kept attacking. Psycho cut, mach punch, night shade, night slash, shadow claw, faint attack, and kept hammering on and on. The guardian didn't light up, and didn't even seem fazed by the onslaught of attacks I've been using on him.

I decided to try and get this over with, so I charged up my strength and went face forward with a giga impact. He was flung and smashed into the side of the mountain, and I clearly did a very harmful amount of damage with the attacked.

I gathered my breath, and shook off the fatigue that attack left me with. A small snow cloud had settled from this, so I couldn't see well. My instincts alerted me, and I quickly jumped out of the way to dodge a lance striking right into the ice.

The snow cleared, and there was sign that the guardian was getting any weaker.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me!

I started to realize there had to be a trick to this. It turns out that if I try to stand on that lance, I start to feel the disheveled craziness again. So while I don't mean to touch it, it won't make me crazy. But if I _mean _to, then I'll get some issues.

So… I started to realize that I might have to take that lance and shove it up his royally large ass. Maybe that would work out in the end.

So I decided to try and stick to that idea. I tried to get him to smash the lance in the ground, so I intricately dodged every attack. I was waiting for him to try and use the lance and ram it into the ground.

After a frustrating amount of attacks, in which I wound up hit by a focus punch, he finally took the lance and tried to stake me with it. I quickly grabbed his lance, took control, despite all the ridiculousness going through my mind. I didn't think, and just rammed the lance into his head.

The guard roared out in pain, and faded away into oblivion. Looks like that's how you do it; kill them with their own sanity.

I continued with my ascent up the mountain, aware that there were still many more of these guards left. As soon as there was no more ice, I would just climb up. I was fortunate that I held myself up with my claws in the ice back then, because the ice just breaks too easily. Climbing it would just break off ice.

Time for a long and boring trek up the mountain. Wonder what's going on in the real world right now…

…

The Hydreigon waited on the edge of the curb. His van was one of the few that weren't flipped over. He meditated while Alxur, the Luxray, fetched Zach. Kyle did his role in their plan to get Zach disabled, and yet Kyle didn't even know it. How gullible.

He waited for even a call on his phone. No signs so far. The Hydreigon wondered what must be taking him so long. Not even all those floors would take that long to climb up. He's been waiting for half an hour now.

The Hydreigon in the van was known either as Number 1, or Captain Verus. As a child, he grew up in the sanctity of wealthy Hydreigon parents. They spoiled the brat. When he grew and the other heads were silenced, he decided he needed a stronger role. He went to serve under the Brotherhood army. That was when he was 19, and now he is 63.

When Ukuli was killed, Verus had discovered the true reason for his death: a Gallade known as Max Regaldi. As a passionate supporter of Ukuli, he swore to hunt down this Gallade.

When he found him, Max easily bested him. He was sore, and was called the prime suspect for Ukuli's murder. He fled to the new region of the Legion, and grew and trained there.

Ever since, he has been rigorously training. Under the rule of Gerald Jongar, he served as his first military leader. He trained several recruits and trained himself too, and started becoming abnormally strong for a mortal.

He persisted his thorough and rigorous training, sometimes training all night and day. He knew that the stronger he would become, the more powerful of an influence he had.

When the number system was implemented into the army, he and his other leading friends, Noxus, Leona, Ed, and Alxur, all applied for leaders for the new militia. Gerald explained that there were no leaders, and that everyone would be called upon for specific situations.

They still applied regardless. Ed became the #5, Alxur #4, Noxus #3, Leona #2, and Verus being the #1 soldier in all of the Legion. Gerald explained that he would only be called on for very important operations that could go sourly if there was a problem, or something acquired the most elite of the soldiers.

Verus was all good friends with his four comrades. Although he never sees them much, they keep in contact. Verus trained many of them to become their masterful state. The 5 of them surpass all the other by an exceeding amount of skill. They are called the Top 5 throughout the ranks of the Legion army.

Verus started eventually leading several missions, and started to adopt the name Captain Verus from all of his friends, colleagues and soldiers. Gerald officially started to refer to him as "Captain" so Verus started to identify himself as Captain Verus.

Many question Verus' leadership. Several soldiers feel that the Top 5 were just overrated and too good to be true. Not a single soldier could beat Ed, the least of the top 5.

Ed was an Umbreon. While his small size was amusing to those, he utilized it to be fearsome and dangerous. A stealth assassin, he invented his own way to be invisible and undetectable. He can be around any corner, on the ceiling, right behind you, or anywhere he wants. With supermobile techniques and a desire to walk through walls.

He is famous for single-handedly doing mission #30XI. This mission involved utilizing an ability to mentally change a mind. Ed had recently studied this, and learned from Verus and Leona on how to enter the minds of others. Normally certain supernatural abilities would be required to do this, but Verus had surpasses supernatural. His powers would give the legends a good run for their money.

#30XI required to take prisoners from a prison inside Terra City and locate them to a desolate and fake jail located in an uncharted territory of Terra City. A false jail was set there were 4 prisoners needed to be escorted, but none of the people here could adequately secure the prison.

Therefore, Ed needed to hypnotize the strongest of the 4 people, Oscio, to act as an impenetrable jail warden. The strength of this creature could possibly overwhelm even Leona in power, so it would have to be done very intricately.

Ed pulled off this part with success. Oscio was hypnotized, and the other 3 were taken prisoner, and escorted to the jail. Ed implanted the fake files and created a record history of all the employees that were hypnotized too to serve at the prison. Under this, the 4 men could never fight the legion, as they would have been able to overthrow the Legion easily.

Ed became highly renowned to this, and has been relied on for very important missions in the past.

Surpassing Ed is Alxur, a Luxray. Possibly the most active of the Top 5, Alxur is frequently spying out in the Avenger territory. Each Top 5 has their trademark skills, Ed's being invisibilty. Alxur manages to take grip of teleportation. This is extremely exotic, especially for an electric type. Not even Verus knows how Alxur mastered such an arcane art.

This isn't the normal psychic type of teleport. As long as Alxur has visited the spot and can remember what he saw, he can teleport exactly to that spot, no matter where he is. He utilizes this to travel around the world in seconds, making him a very reliable middleman and spy.

Alxur has done revolutionary work for the Legion, completing such daredevil missions such as #09FC. This mission involved anonymously convincing a law that would stab their own army in the back without them realizing it. It was a success.

Another mission, #18YA, had him assassinate a figurehead candidate in such a supreme and unheard of fashion. It would make it so that he would die in front of a large crowd, no one could identify the death, and that a message would be sent out through this from where the speech was at. It was, once again, a flawless success.

Just now, Alxur has been co-commanding operation Juggernaut. The Avengers know they can't possibly win against the Legion with their work, and now that they've lost their best soldiers, they have to resort to extreme methods. They plan to take Zach Regaldi, son of Max Regaldi and make him an unstoppable super soldier, capable of destroying the Legion entirely.

Gerald immediately saw the problem, and called for extreme methods, only consolidated information between Gerald and Verus. No one else knows what the two men have in plan, but it's in an important attempt to make sure Regaldi would die.

Zach was already surpassing anyone else in their army, making him more than fearsome without him realizing it. They still knew that the child had to die, even if he was 15. Verus took command of the mission, and assigned Alxur as his right-hand-man. Through many extreme moments, they have lost many good soldiers, and still no success. Alxur had come close to assassinating Zach, and instead launched him to Vosa Nové in which he continued to hunt Zach. Still failing, he tried another attempt to kidnap his dad, in which Leona would feign as his dad. It didn't work, as his dad managed to best Alxur somehow. No one knows why, and Alxur claims to not remember how he had beat Alxur.

As for the #2 in the Legion army, Leona, is a completely different type of character. She is a Weavile. As the second greatest fighter in the Legion army, Leona is rarely called upon for work. Like the rest of the Top 5, she has a stunning ability. This ability is unheard of though; a complete shape-shift of her body. She can re-create herself in a different body, yet still have her mind. Verus is unsure of how she accomplished such a feat.

Because Leona has such a dynamic ability, she is only rarely used in important situations. She is sometimes used as spying or infiltration, and almost made a key difference in operation Juggernaut. However, Alxur's failure in killing Max Regaldi made her role impossible.

She has been in some key operations, often assisting others though. She can best anyone except Verus in a one on one fight, earning her the #2 spot in the Legion. Her work is invaluable to Verus and Gerald, making her a favorite to many. Her past is unknown, but she apparently had been married before she joined the Legion. She refuses to say anything otherwise.

Lastly there is Noxus. The Zoroark has another amazing ability that only he can use, and this time it is the ability to clone his own self, and make a second counterpart. He manages to live with two completely different bodies at the same time somehow, and even Verus is impressed on how the Zoroark pulls it off. Sometimes Noxus' parts are working on opposite sides of the continent.

He is leading an important role in operation Juggernaut. He works as "The Mole" in which one half is working undercover while the other works out on the field doing missions. His main body works undercover while the second works in and out either being recon in the Avengers or a striker in the army. It does not matter if his second counterpart dies; he can simply create a new one.

Verus has his own special ability; known as Hyeronga in Perilene, it is an advanced form of pyro kinesis. While the flame soul in the system of blessings allows for pyro kinesis, this pyro kinesis has been described as "Cluster Flames". Basically, normal pyro kinesis focuses on one object. The Hyeronga allows the user to make a large area become unreasonably hot, and a concentrated area disintegrate from heat. It is truly fearsome, but requires much concentration. Verus uses it in specific situations and rarely otherwise.

Operation Juggernaut has had involvement from every Top 5 except Leona so far, making it a very heavily focused operation. Whenever the Legion has operations rather than missions, they are extremely large and important. They expect thousands of their soldiers to help in the operation along with some of the elite soldiers, which are all soldiers under #101.

However, this has easily been the most costly of all operations. Several machines, valuables, and much else, including some elite soldiers, have been lost in this operation. Gerald understands the amount of money they've bet on the table, and have lost much of it several times.

Gerald had even considered giving up, which is hard for the Absol. He's never had to admit defeat once in his entire work as a leader, so it was hard to try and cease operations. Ultimately Verus convinced him that their plan had to go on, so that he would have to man up and make it through, hopefully getting Zach along the way.

Verus was hoping that it would finally be the time to get over with this stupid operation. He was tired of having to mop up for some of the mistakes others have made since he is either busy with Gerald or doing some more auxiliary missions. Now he was waiting for Alxur to get Zach so they could drive off. They knew Kyle wasn't going to even be able to recover Zach by the time they had gone into Legion territory. Alxur wouldn't be able to teleport the three of them to the legion immediately, but he knew an area where he could easily go by boat and execute Zach from there. The town called Partonetta would serve, as they had more business to take care of while they're there.

Verus quickly responded to the ringing. He turned on the speaker and started talking.

"What is it Alxur?" Verus asked.

"I've got Zach. Had to fight for him, but I've still got him. Kyle seems to be still in his mind. Seems like it'll be awhile. Let's get out of here and haul our ass to Partonetta," Alxur answered.

"Alright. Juggernaut's finally over for fuck's sake," Verus groaned.

"Yes- just one problem…" Alxur noted.

"Eh, what?" Verus asked.

"I had to fight Oscio. Remember that they escaped from the prison, and somehow he wound up here. He almost got me, and if he's recovered, I will never be able to get out. I'm actually afraid, so could you come up to me and escort me down?" Alxur said. "I sound like a massive coward, but that guy'll kill me. I can't risk it." Verus understood.

"Alright, I'll be up there in a while. I need to do some relays with Gerald," Verus replied.

"Yes, but hurry. I don't want him getting up here any time soon!" Alxur hissed as he hung up.

Verus groaned, and rolled his eyes. He knew that Alxur hasn't been working as hard recently. Verus feels like he needs more training, and might see if Ed can actually take his spot as #4.

Verus remembers how Alxur was caught at a prostitution joint when on leave for that day. He must have a loose control of his life outside of being a supreme soldier. He's ticked off by how nonchalant he is at times, not often considering what's at hand, specifically with Zach.

Verus feels that he would have been able to kill Zach by now, and that Alxur was too careless. Others agree, and have been frowning upon Alxur when it comes to important missions. So far Alxur was redeeming himself, and it was all set so that this was finally going to end.

Verus still was getting frustrated. He felt Alxur needed to prove himself. He needed to really step up his game.

Verus quickly used a boost to get to the top of the tower. He didn't need to climb stairs, especially if Oscio was around. He would be hard to deal with, even injured. Alxur's guillotine hitting was a stroke of pure luck.

Soon Verus popped up the top of the mountain, seeing the unconscious demon-child in Alxur's arms, and the Zoroark child passed out on the ground. It was impressive how all this was schemed. Noxus starting off, then Alxur coming for enforcements, and then Verus ending it all. It was a well-coordinated scheme.

"Thanks for getting here. Are we going to teleport here?" Alxur asked.

"I don't see why not. Let's go," Verus answered. Alxur nodded, and grabbed Verus' body. He started to veil himself in telekinetic energy. Soon enough, in the blink of an eye, they teleported very far away, all the way from the center of the world to the coast of the country.

The sudden change from the rather cold climate to the warm coastal city was pretty sudden. The change in pressure made Alxur's ears ring, as Terra City is considerably higher in altitude than Partonetta. Verus also felt the annoying sensation, and merely groaned. Alxur joined in the groaning.

"Well here we are. Let's get settled and then fetch a boat. Remember, we have to dump Zach in the ocean. We can't risk a possible Legionnaire using a resurrect on him, the damn people are everywhere nowadays," Verus reminded Alxur.

"Yes sir Captain," Alxur responded. They quickly scrambled for the nearest empty and unpopulated spot, stowing Zach in a suitcase. They dashed for a slum neighborhood in Partonetta.

…

Damn… That was long and hard. A good bit of recovery along the way up was nice though.

There were 4 more of those really weird guardians. They all had the same way to get destroyed oddly enough; one hit with their own lance and they're dead. I tried to just fight my way through the 5th, but it didn't work. So I just stabbed the last one. It got easy after doing it enough times.

Now nearing the top of the mountain, I could see debris and dust being whipped around from the tempest lining the twisted sky. I felt the wind start to pick up beneath my feet, so I hurriedly continued on to find out what this mountain was for.

I started to drag my feet as I kept going. I was tired, cold, and a bit hurt from all those previous encounters. I didn't have some of my skills to help me recover. That, and no painkillers. Due to my goddamn need to get hurt all the time from fights and stuff, I use painkillers pretty often. And I guess drug effects don't carry into mental realms, which is odd considering alcohol messed with your brain.

I started to feel the wind send an eerie chill up my spine. I recognized it somewhere, but I'm unsure. The wind was also bitter cold, and chilled my bones. I used flamethrower to help keep myself warm.

Now I finally reached the peak, and I felt it a bit harder to breathe. I guess there was some altitude to this weird world… It only seemed to just spiral on and on, but it must be something optical in that case.

I saw several of the lance guards all marching around, chanting something that sounded similar to that language Oscio was speaking…

"JEI TUNAH SUVOIS! (Súvois without an accent is directly soul, not the entire thing) [Take the soul!] KRAI TUNAH SUVOIS! (Curse the soul!) INDIRIS! INDIRIS! (Fire! Fire!)" they chanted over and over again. Wasn't sure what they were saying to be honest… sounded like nonsense to me… but they kept chanting, and the demonic counterpart was standing on a spire while Zach was bound to a pole, struggling to break free of the tormenting constraints.

"Sil gondas! (Silence brothers!)" the demon Gallade called out with his menacingly rusty voice. He jumped off of his tower, and looked me straight in the eye.

"Speak the English?" he asked. I nodded my head. "Good. Come." He walked over to me, and some mythical force brought me over. I couldn't even control my legs.

"Gondas, jeur eós Zoroark pleye gyo ser ir bínd. (Brothers, take this Zoroark and tie him to a rope)" the Gallade commanded. I was still baffled as to what he was saying, but I heard Zoroark in there, meaning that it was referencing to me.

Suddenly, the guards swarmed me and held me in a lock. It meant I couldn't do anything to attack; no motions, no freedom, no ability to channel power. It was frustrating, and I realized something was bound to happen.

I saw Zach slowly looked at me getting brought over. I saw a spark of idea in his eyes, and he threw his head down like earlier. Looks like he was a prison in his own mind.

The same chant started up again, and the demon Gallade stepped in front of us, picked us up with dark black arms constraining us to any movement. He started to corrupt our minds with horrible ideas, and several horrible thoughts that made me want to crawl up in bed… make it stop…

MAKE IT STOP!

Indiris… INDIRIS INDIRIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN! AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Like a lightning bolt, all the feeling in my body went flying from me, and I was tossed flying across the top of the mountain. I felt my own conscience return to me, and I saw the entire shape of the world slowly return to normal.

My head was spinning, I was extremely dizzy, and felt like throwing up. I did my best to look up and see Zach beating the living crap out of the demonic syndicate, with him ripping off the wings and much else. I felt the realm straightening out, the mountain flattening, and a sense of a brighter sun rolling in. It felt nice and relaxing, something I hadn't felt for a while.

I saw the demonic posture in the body fade away, and then Zach picked up the new Gallade that remained, and brought it into himself. They reformed, and the world went to a sudden cloudy cold.

I rushed out of the world, running through the planes of mental intersection and flew right back into reality. I immediately got used to the entire feeling of the actual world. The struggle, tiredness, and physical endurance. I must have been lying dormant here for a good amount of time.

I got up and perked my head up to the high heights. I could see the sun sneak in through some cracks in the clouds, but it was still windy and breezy up here, so still very cold.

But…

Where was Zach?

I looked around and noticed his brother with a wound in his chest, panting on the ground. I quickly walked over.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"They shot me… took Zach… somewhere… get me… he-help…" he stuttered. There was no sign of a bullet resting inside of him, so I knew that I would just have to use some healing stuff for life support. I don't want him to die…

I quickly used healing bell, and picked him up and started to haul ass down the building. I had Brian in a fireman hold when I came across an exhausted Oscio.

"Oscio, what happened?" I asked.

"That general was a traitor! He's a Legion!" Oscio exclaimed. I should've known better, but I guess it's too late now.

"Where are they going?" I asked Oscio.

"No clue… Is that Brian?" he asked.

"Yes. I hope you know how to save a life, he's bleeding pretty badly out of his stomach from a bullet," I explained. Oscio grimaced.

"I can keep him alive for a day, but he needs ER service and urgent attention," he responded.

"It's good enough. I need to see what happened. Get crackin'," I begged him. He nodded.

"I will help him. Just get a doctor," he commanded. I nodded, and dashed off down.

I eventually reached the ground level, in which I saw several people confused and wandering the streets, unsure of what just happened or where they were. It seems purifying Zach had caused everyone else to revert to their normal state.

I had seen most of the people still dressed in their garments, a good number being those in hospital outfits. I saw a Leavanny wearing a surgeon's outfit. I quickly rushed up to her.

"Excuse me! I have a friend in danger! Can we get him to the hospital quickly?" I asked, hoping for a good answer. She thought for a second.

"Yes, but we need other doctors. I'll get into contact with them as soon as possible. Stay easy for the meanwhile," she directed me. I nodded.

"Thank you," I said, with urgency lingering in my voice. Hang in there Brian. And Zach… good luck to wherever you are, or whatever is happening.

…

3rd Person POV Switch, AGAIN

…

The Glalies kept their ice beams hovering right above Vic's face while his body started to turn into a purple hue. They were becoming worried that he may die off. It would be the first time a Victini has died before their blessed has; no one would know the outcome.

And as suddenly as he had passed out, Vic roared back into life in a fiery explosion, knocking back great numbers of the pokemon. The same fiery embers littered the room, but the ice pokemon could resist the intense heat. Vic floated down gently, tired and let out a deep breath.

"Ah! Yuroi! Yuroi! (Rejoice! Rejoice!)" the ensembles of pokemon cried out in Vic's triumphant return. Vic looked around. He smiled to himself knowing that something had ended this great calamity.

He knew he would have to get into contact with Zach as soon as possible, but he seemed to be disconnected. Vic knew that he would be able to talk with him soon enough, so for the meanwhile he would share his good news by presenting himself to Moltres. It was a load off of their backs.

"Moltres!" Vic called out once he was in the great bird's den. Moltres let out a joyous call.

"Yuroi! It is miraculous! What is the cause of your return?" Moltres greeted.

"Unsure. Zach hasn't connected yet, any second now he should…" Vic thought, and soon enough, he could speak to Zach. "And there we go."

…

That was short, back to 1st person POV

…

I woke up in binds, and they were most certainly type locked. I made no movement as I heard a boat motor rev up, and I realized that the sun was setting. Either time had progressed while I was out, or I was in Partonetta, as time couldn't have jumped this quickly. Not only was Terra City a few time zones back, but it was also very high in altitude, giving it more daylight.

I opened my eyes and saw two men; a Luxray, and a Hydreigon. Chills quickly went down my spine, and I felt goose bumps start to pop out of my skin. The Luxray was the same one that had killed the Gardevoir…

"Alxur, are you ready to depart?" the Hydreigon asked. So that must be his real name, and not #4… Alxur… It sounded legion like. The Legion has more diverse names than the Avengers.

"Just a sec Verus, we'll get going soon enough," Alxur replied. Verus must be the name of the Hydreigon then! Simple enough, seemed that everything was making sense here, except for WHAT WAS I DOING HERE!?

How did I just magically appear in Partonetta? Do these Legion guys have something to do with it? What is going on here!?

A voice ringed in my head.

"Zach! What happened?" Vic asked.

"No idea… One thing I know is that I black out in the arms of two guys, and then I'm in Partonetta…" I answered.

"Well that is odd. How did you get to Partonetta?" he asked.

"Like I said, no clue," I responded.

"I see… Well, what are you in now?" he asked.

"Two legions and on a ship. I recognize one; a Luxray that is abnormally powerful… and a Hydreigon. They both seem deadly, and I'm sure they have a gun on them." I felt Vic start to get scared. "Don't be scared, I can see how to get out of this easily." I was already forming an idea looking at all the props of the ship.

"Well… be careful. I need to talk with Moltres. Please, my life is in your hands right now." I understood the consequences, so I knew I needed flawless execution.

But, now that I was in Partonetta, a lot had to be answered.

First off, if I'm in Partonetta, maybe I should stay until March 1st, even if it was about 12 days away. It was 2 weeks I'd miss out of school, but I've missed far more than that before. I was just worried about my parents at this point.

That was number 2. I need to tell my family that I'm okay. They're probably worried sick about me… Not to mention Brian after this encounter. He was there when it all started…

Third, just what happened to me? I'm so confused, I just felt myself collapsing from the inside, and then I couldn't feel anything… was that what it's like to be dead or something? Just nothing at all? I couldn't even think. It's like I could only _be_. So weird…

Fourth and lastly, what am I going to do about these legions? If they managed to haul me all the way over to Partonetta, surely they must have good reason… Perhaps they're going to drown me… Eugh, I've never liked that kind of way to die. I've had some ways to bypass it…

This is why I'm so confident. If they tried to drown me, I could use a water breathing skill Vic taught me to easily save myself… All I'm worried about is that the dreamer ocean is big, and deep. Pressure increases as you go deeper down, not to mention the creatures like Tentacruels and Lanturns. Maybe even Gyarados and some other ones…

And with type binds, I wouldn't be able to use attacks to free myself. From anything. I might have to do those escape artist things that you always see on TV, including the assured death if I mess up.

So I was feeling a bit nervous now. Come to think of it, I've heard rumors of successful resurrections going on across the country; that's probably why they want to drown me, so I can't come back. It was cunning, and Terra City doesn't have any large bodies of water to do so aside from Pallatine river. Even then it could end up running into another city like Yurimor.

They really wanted me dead. Going for every fool proof part of the plan. I was assuming that they didn't expect me to wake up, and that I would drown during that half-death thing…

It was scary how much the Legion wanted me dead. Pinning several forces, even their #4 soldier on me, just to make sure I wouldn't live. I had to admit, the pressure was… accumulating. That's been apparent… before.

So I knew what I had to do. Restrain myself from any signs of being awake or conscious, just close my eyes and think of something…

Hmmm…

…

"The boy likes lying to himself," the man noted.

"This is true. He finds it hard to accept himself and his surroundings. Sure he doesn't realize what power he can harness, as he never wanted anything to do with it. He tries to denote and make it a separate part of him. He can never remove that seal as long as he lives though," the legionnaire told the friend over the phone. They were on other sides of the land; one in Cortia City, and the other in Partonetta.

"Yes, it haunts him. He regrets the day going into that Volcano, and the day he fought the Legion spy, Tucker," the other man responded. The man in Cortia's phone started ringing. "Ah hold on. I'm getting a call." He received the call and brought him into the conversation. "Hello?"

"Hey guys, it's the Big O. Something weird happened in Terra City… I am a bit held up, but I'll return to Cortia City in a bit," O explained.

"Okay? We'll see you there I guess," the first man explained.

"Good. See ya!" he said as he hung up. O was a mysterious person, as with the two men talking. One a Torterra and the other one a Hitmontop. They were talented Legionnaires currently discussing Zach Regaldi, an anonymous threat to the Legionnaires. They don't even know where he is, but O was able to take a thorough analysis on him. It provided the two with invaluable information.

"Was that O?" the Torterra asked.

"Yeah. He's returning after something big happened in Terra City apparently," the Hitmontop explained.

"Crazy shit goes on around this kid. Must hurt for him," the Torterra sympathized.

"Remember what the Queen said? 'Pathos isn't something you can develop now.' She means that we shouldn't interfere and try to help him; he needs to work on his own."

"But Jack, I feel that if he doesn't get help he's going to break under pressure. He's in Verus' and Alxur's grasp right now!"

"He has his ways. Oh I know that he can work this all through… Don't worry about it Jerry," Jack hinted.

…

The two Legions obviously saw that something was different with me… So they stuck a tranquilizer in me.

Now I was sub-consciously holding my breath underwater. I was trying as hard as I could to not breathe, which would cause me to start drowning. I need my damn limbs to get working.

"VIC! NEED SOME HELP HERE!" I yelled at him.

"WAH! What!?" he asked, kind of surprised that I woke him up.

"I need an energy source; I can't move and I'm going to drown in a bit," I replied. He panicked, and quickly sent over a piece of smoldering metal.

"Quickly! Burn through the chain with it!" he exclaimed. I used some telekinetic powers that Vic taught me to ram it right through the chain. It nudged my leg and holy hell did it hurt! I could see burning hot bubbles rushing from the bar and rising towards the surface. Soon I felt the chain snap, and I tried my best to unravel myself with the one piece of my leg. Apparently I had to get jolted to get working again, so I made that one leg hit the other, flipped myself until I was sick and soon enough, I could function again.

I quickly swam to the top, running out of breath and seeing the world start to get darker in the already darkening sky.

Soon I popped out of the water, taking deep gasps of breath, marveling at the air. Damn fish pokemon are lucky.

I kept my head low; the boat with the Legions on it was right in front of me. I heard conversation.

"Are we going to stay in Partonetta or go back?" Verus asked.

"Eh, we can let Ed handle this mission right? I feel kind of bored of being out here, and I think I've proved myself to you that I'm still adequate," Alxur answered.

"Fair enough. Let's return," Verus replied. I heard a loud whoosh. I've heard of teleportation, and it seems Alxur can do it. Well that's… frightening… And who was this Ed guy?

Anyhow, I hopped aboard the boat and went to the captain's seat. I've seen people work boats, but not too well. Anyhow, adjust the rudder and rafts, and let's get going…

The waves were calm tonight, and I saw some lights peaking at the horizon. It was at this point night time, and the stars were out. I kept driving in until I saw something, so I shut out the lights and focused my sight. I saw the same two figures, now with an Umbreon joining them.

Alxur and Verus, and the Umbreon was a tad bit larger than normal ones. He had a scar running down his face, all the way down to his back leg. It looked frightening. I tried to make sure that this boat was as invisible as possible, so I waited a while until I saw that the Umbreon had left, and Alxur and Verus were gone.

I kept the lights off and approached Partonetta's shore, and then I jumped off the boat and swam ashore on a beach. Fortunately the life guard didn't see me, so I buried myself under the sand and got onto the boardwalk.

I saw cars rushing across the street. I must have looked weird with my body coated in sand grains and have a tattered grey t-shirt that had holes everywhere. At last my shorts weren't ripped up that badly. My kickers were a bit tattered, but not that bad.

It was a bit cold tonight. It wasn't cold season yet, we would have to wait for May for the chills, but it was night, so it was a good deal colder than normal.

I needed a place to stay; didn't have any money or anything, so I had no sort of currency here. Might as well just skip sleeping tonight and roam the streets; maybe find some loose change and use a payphone to get in touch.

Definitely scared though. If this Ed guy was a force to be reckoned with, staying here for 12 days may be harder than I expected… I wonder if any other Legions are situated here too. I feel a little more insecure. This may not be Vosa Nové, but given the right situations, it could end up being worse.

I started to scavenge around for spare change, while occasionally breathing fire to keep myself warm. People got a bit scared whenever I would breathe the fire, so I made sure to seldom do it when there were others around. It was so cold out tonight.

I decided to take refuge in an alley way between two apartment buildings. The alleys between some of the towers were a bit too tight, so I just stuck myself to the wall. I noticed that there was a vacant room though in one of the buildings. I climbed up the wall and saw nothing that belonged there, so I decided to block off the room and settle on the bed there. I shut the windows and everything, and zealously went to sleep.

…

That night I woke up to some thumping. I quickly used some of the aura sight to see what was going on, and I noticed an Umbreon coming up the stairs. I hit myself behind the dresser in case he entered the room.

However, he walked right past my door, and went into another room. I saw a man snorting drugs, and the Umbreon walked up to him.

"HEY YOU!" he yelled. The man turned around. "WHERE'S MY FUCKING MONEY!?" This guy didn't sound like a legion; he sounded like a drug dealer.

"I don't have any," he complained.

"You've been wasting my time for weeks! If you don't give us some money, my pals and I may have to get ugly with you!" the Umbreon warned. Even though he was doing drugs, I felt sorry for the high Golduck. I felt the just side of me coming out.

Suddenly, I saw another Umbreon come up the stairs. This one was bigger, and had the noticeable scar across his body.

He walked up to the door, and it suddenly violently shook and shattered into a million pieces. The first Umbreon turned around and raised his gun.

The other Umbreon took the gun and smacked him over the head with it. The Golduck watched in horror. The stronger Umbreon looked at him. Suddenly, the Golduck floated out of the window and was tossed onto the building across the street.

The first Umbreon got up with a knife and tried to stab the first one. The bigger one simply lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the ceiling. He started to talk, so I switch out the aura sight for hearing, as I couldn't juggle two abilities at once.

"…-orrow you will meet me at the Felíge Tréunt at 9:20 A.M. sharp. If you don't, I'll have you know that your entire underground business will be compromised and your artifacts will be taken anyhow. Got that?" the bigger Umbreon interrogated.

"Y-yeah…!" the Umbreon nervously shouted.

"Good. Don't give me any shit, or else you're a dead man," the bigger Umbreon intimidated. He soon left the room, so I switched to aura vision and saw the door reform, almost in reverse. The one drug dealer was shocked, so he lay down and fell asleep, or more like passed out from fear.

The Felíge Tréunt was a prestigious casino well known for how popular and exquisite it is. Some big time gamblers made it there, and its reputation and fame has been going up steadily. What was interesting is that a Legion and a thug were meeting there, and the security and everything was pretty good. However, some people have fake ids and slip through unnoticed of course. I wonder what could be happening there, but I heard artifacts. I assume there was something to these artifacts that were important.

Now my justice side was kicking in. I wanted to go to the police and report all this, but who would believe a homeless 14 year old Gallade? Who cares if I was red, if anything that would make it weirder?

I didn't care though. It was hot on my mind, but so was getting sleep. I can't function fatigued.

Ah…

…

Everyone huddled around the ER table. Electronics were working hard, monitoring everything.

It was another hard time for the Regaldi parents. Now both of their children had been shot at this point. Brian fared worse as well; he had been shot multiple times.

Kyle was aiding the doctors in keeping Brian alive, having to resort to invasive surgeries that would take months for him to get back to full conditions. He would eventually make a full recovery, but this will linger around for a year or so.

"Kyle, get me the limb jack," the doctor ordered. Kyle picked up the delicate tool. It was a long sickle that was durable and hard, used for repositioning limbs carefully. Kyle handed it to the lean Sigilyph which handled it with care, carefully sliding it under Brian's left lung. He already had the ribs slightly pushed up so that the lungs had a bit more room to move around. Kyle watched intently as he gently moved the organ from its spot to a more tight spot.

He placed it in the right position, and started to close in the ribcage. He kept going in until it was touching the lungs, in which he cursed under his breath. He quickly got out the jack again, and swiftly moved over the lung a bit to the right.

He started to close down the rib cage, but it hit again. Sweat started gleaming on the Sigilyph's body. He started to quickly move around the lung, trying to find the right position. Kyle watched with panic seeing the doctor working hard.

He kept trying to find the magic spot, but alas; it was no use. He took down his mask in dishonor.

"I'm afraid he's going to need a mechanical lung," the doctor deemed. He started to sew up part of his body, and after doing so, walked off with a heavy chin.

Kyle knew this would impact everyone too hard. Someone with a mechanical lung can't live long; it messes their entire world up. They can't reproduce or anything.

So Kyle didn't bother having to use black magic this time. He doesn't want to leave the Regaldis this downhearted.

His eyes glowed a horrific black as he floated from his position. Soon enough, energy flew in from everywhere, and the lung turned from its normal pink to a deep purple. Brian's body started to pulse and swell disturbingly, veins bulging from their very place. His chest and ribcage swelled to large sizes, and soon the entire body started to reform, meat being replaced and limbs reforming, de-swelling and returning to normal. 10 seconds later, Brian was completely recovered.

As soon as it was finished, Kyle passed out on the floor, mouth open and drooling. It would take him hours to get back to normal, but within half a day he'll be off and running again. This is why he scarcely uses his healing magic, as it's frightening, gross, and tires him out.

The doctor walked back in slowly, mechanic frame in hand to see Brian slowly waking up at full health. His entire body functions were normal. He dropped his tweezers in shock seeing the boy fully recovered.

"Are you okay son?" he asked.

"Yes… Tired, and a bit nauseous, but okay… Ungh…" Brian responded. He laid his head back down. "I don't know what happened, but I'm at full health. Just leave me be and tell my parents the odd news… I need to sleep." Soon enough, Brian docked his head and was cast away into the land of his dreams.

The doctor noticed Kyle out cold on the floor, so carried him off to a hospital bedroom and left him there.

No one was sure how to react to what had just happened that day, although the demon inside Kyle's head was pleased that he was making use out of the powers that had been forced upon him.

…

…

The sun shone through the windows. I looked at the clock and saw 8:20. I got up and got myself checked through, slowly waking up. I had to resist the urge to take a shower and my usual routine in the morning; I had to leave it behind.

Man, my life just got cataclysmic in the matter of a few days. It's hard to believe all this. I'm not going to be able to shake this off tomorrow, especially once I learn what happened in Terra City. I hope everything's alright…

I slugged out of the room and took in a breath of fresh air. I didn't dream last night. I've stopped getting overnight fantasies in general unless you count wet dreams.

I wish I had a cup of water. I was thirsty and needed a drink. Come to think of it, I think I don't need to worry about this water dissolve thing anymore. I should limit my time around water, but if need be I can dive head-first into a pool. After all, I did spend all that time underwater chained a heavy piece of metal.

After getting a bit rejuvenated with energy, I leaped and climbed up the building till I was on the roof. I spotted The Square which homed casinos. I could distinguish the Felíge from over here; it would be some long jumping and running, but I saw where I could easily eavesdrop on what was happening. It would require a bit of breaking and entering however.

As I approached, I saw a familiar Umbreon wearing a leather jacket and a baseball cap. Thank you hyper senses for pointing me out something VERY important. He was presumably the one, more threatening, Umbreon. I assumed this was Ed that Verus and Alxur mentioned.

I saw Ed's small little L shaped item jutting from his armor, so I knew something was going to go down. I started to leap across the rooftops until landing in one of The Square's trees. The ruffle attracted some attention, and more so me falling out of the tree, and suddenly taking off. I also noticed an unusual amount of cops in the area. It's like they were waiting for something…

I waited before I would retrieve my pistol from my inventory. I assume they had metal detectors or some other form of pat-down security perhaps.

I just noted that, underneath everyone's noses, out of the corner of my eye, that Ed had slid his pistol stealthily through a windowsill… Very clever, and very smart… It seems he is sure of everything. Kind of scary.

I knew that there was no time to waste. I started dashing off, walking on the rails of the ice rink. I gained a bit of attention from the oddity of seeing a red Gallade running on jagged ended rails, but I didn't care. My kickers were already hurt enough, so it didn't matter. I didn't want to have a collision on the sidewalk.

I soon jumped off, and the Felíge was on the other side of the street. I waited until it was clear, and I then did a swift jump and leap across the street, impressing spectators and those else watching at the time.

I quickly ran in, and walked in, regaining my normal calm composure. I saw Ed walking into the bar at the corner of my eye. I decided to just go up to the counter and ask the receptionist if I could use the bathroom, which she quickly directed me to.

Once there, I had Vic send me a new set of fresh clothes. I slipped into the casual white shirt and dress pants.

From the outside, I hear a massive bang and a load of screaming. Panic must have been sweeping the halls of the Felíge. I would go out there, but I was just changing my boxers, and plus the pants would fall down without a belt. It would have to wait honestly; I have a sense of honor, and running around naked doesn't seem really all that honorable…

I decided for a last minute wardrobe change, so I got on a beret and a leather jacket to add to my current outfit. It was sunny too, so I also received a pair of sunglasses. I'm really working Vic out with all this transferring over long distances.

As soon as I ran out, I saw a group of police waiting outside the door, pointing guns at me. I threw my hands up quickly.

"What is it?" I asked with a commanding voice.

"You! Come with us!" a Meganium commanded.

"I know your enemy. He's going underground," I noted, with a hint of the cue word. The officer of the unit, an Emboar, understood what I meant.

"Hold your fire men!" the Emboar commanded. Everyone lowered their guns. "You know who this man is?"

"No. He is collaborating with someone to get into an organization of underground drugs," I explained.

"Then we have a common enemy. Who are you?" he asked.

"No one but a wanderer. Don't mind if I join you?" I asked. I didn't see reason why not to.

"Sorry kid, but we're too full. Thank you for directions," I nodded, slanting my mouth.

"Ok. Good luck," I said, as I took off dashing into the building. I knew that Ed had to be somewhere in here, looking for that other Umbreon. My guess was that he hadn't met, or that he was in an incorrect spot. It was 9:35.

Running through, I saw the carnage he had wrought upon the site. I saw many broken machines, bullet holes and tattered spots. Looking through, I saw a trail going up the stairs, so I kept following.

As I was dashing up the stairs, I heard more screaming and faint gun shots.

I picked up my pace, feeling that more lives may be lost if I didn't.

Eventually I reached the top floor; the gun shots were louder than ever. I slammed open the door and saw the tail dash up the stairs on the left. I saw an Umbreon chasing after him; but this Umbreon had no scar. He was just another Umbreon, very similar to the one that I had seen.

I continued to chase after them to see what was going on.

They ran on top of the roof, which was a bit of a frightening area for the many wealthy tourists having the beach party. They were terrified and in the safe house, ditching every valuable they had. Gems, suitcases, and other vanities were askew on the ground.

"GET BACK HERE!" the smaller Umbreon yelled.

"Heheheh…" Ed chuckled. "You betrayed me you know…"

I sneakily watched as the drama unfolded, in which it poured onto the roof. I saw the two fighting as I reached the top of the staircase. They were both valid fighters, dodging each other's attacks narrowly. I saw many skilled and tactical moves by both.

I went over while the action was unfolding, tied an extremely strong cable hooked to the roof, and uprooted the safe house. All the people inside started screaming with fright. I latched the house to the cable, and hurled it down. It would start to tighten up and eventually come to a halt about 1 foot above the ground; I had placed the knot properly so it would work perfectly. Supposedly, no harm should be done.

I turned around and saw the smaller Umbreon panting on the ground. I saw Ed walk up to him.

"Oh dear, what did I say. It seems you're out of luck. You have two choices again. Death, or tell me where," he boasted. The smaller Umbreon looked like he was about to die from all the wounds and slashes he had on him.

"Kill me now. Put me out of my misery…" Ed frowned.

"A displeasing answer, but fair enough," Ed said. He had a devilish grin. Suddenly, the Umbreon was lifted into the air.

"W-wait! What are you doing!?" he frantically asked.

"Putting you out of your misery," Ed said maniacally.

"S-STOP!" the Umbreon pleaded. His eyes started to role in his head, and he started to flail his legs around. I started to notice his head was bulging. My eyes widened in horror.

There was a thick noise from the inside of his head, and his head slowly deflated as puss spilled out of his ears and eyes. Ed quite literally blasted the Umbreon's brain to bits. He plopped down, cold dead and lifeless.

And then Ed turned towards me.

…

Now I'm not sure how long it'll be before the next chapter of this comes out. I need to write a chapter for another story and I'll get back to this. Hopefully it will be around a month before this updates, but if it gets a bit lengthy I'm sorry in advance,

Anyhow, please leave a review or favorite this story to show love! Danke!

Good night!

~DTH~


	16. Chapter 16, Partonetta

Zach's Years: Freshman. Chapter 16, Partonetta. A Pokemon Fanfiction by Deathlark.

**Author's Note: **So hi everyone! So-

**OH SCREW IT. I WAS EXTREMELY OVERDUE ON THIS MY GOSH I AM SORRY.**

JUST INTERRUPTION AFTER INTERRUPTION FORCED THIS TO BE POSTPONED THE AMOUNT IT WAS. FIRST LIFE THEN PARADE THEN MONO THEN BLOC THEN STORY THEN HNGHGNHGNGHGNHGNGHGAAAAAAAH.

*SIGH* I'LL JUST LET IT BY. ENJOY THE FREAKING STORY.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO POKEMON (CAPS ARE FUN).**

…

_Ect… tunah yi… Tunah yi ou Arceus. (Gandaleh) [Summon… the one… The one of Arceus (Savior)]_

_Ect… tunah yi! Se vons oés tunah gandaleh. (Gandaleh) [Summon… the one! He who is the savior(Savior)]_

_Sós pa yira-mé… Yira-mé blessidus. (Blessidus) [There are one hundred… One hundred blessed(s). (Blessed(s))]_

_Sós pa yira-mé! Yira-mé targues ou Hakenva.(Blessidus) [There are one hundred! One hundred guards of the world (Blessed(s))]_

_Gon uvu ou tunah blessed- [But out of the blessed-]_

_Jarir yi get lae. [Only one shall reign.]_

…

Ed was silent and stunned the first few seconds he saw me. I utilized the time to dash and jump off the building to a lower one. He followed.

"HOW'D YOU LIVE?" he yelled. I shifted my turn and jumped to a lower building. I used a barrier to protect myself from gunshots. He started firing them off one by one. I didn't answer. I rolled onto the building and got pounced by Ed. Damn, he was fast. He slashed me and bit my neck.

I leapt to my feet and tore him off my neck, as it started to bleed. Suddenly he disappeared from sight.

Huh…? How?

My instincts acted up just in time, as I evaded a swift dark attack from the Umbreon. He stumbled and landed on his feet.

"Damn, you're good," he admitted.

"I know. I wish I wasn't," I sighed. He didn't seem confused by it, as he quick attacked to my face. I got smacked back, but kept upright. My neck was pouring out blood, and I started to realize it was having more adhered effects on me. I teleported a cloth from my inventory and wrapped it around the wound. I still felt a little bit lightheaded.

"You know, it's possible to create your own attacks. You just need to know how," Ed said. I shrugged.

"I figured. After all this blessed work it's getting a bit obvious. I just don't know how, as you said," I sighed. I expected Ed to jump on me, but instead he stood still.

"I'll be honest with you. I wish I didn't have to kill you, but you are the greatest threat to my lord. And you're not easy to kill, if these past months haven't shown anything. And I'm not the only one…" Ed explained. I panted, a bit irritated by the blood loss. The cloth must have been stained a deep crimson by now. "That move? Bleeding wound. Dark specialty. It may not have a powerful effect on you, but the bleeding will do it to anyone. Especially on their neck."

Ed charged at me with that same shadow blast. It knocked me onto my back.

"That one? Shadow injection. Ghost specialty. I'm afraid that hurts a bit more, but it's just hard to see it coming more so. What of you? Surely a blessed must have exercised some of his power…" Ed continued. What was he doing…?

"But you know… You interrupted some _other _business I had. Important business. Just what brought you to it?" Ed asked. I continued to pant, and I found it hard to speak.

"I… *pant* overheard what you were doing with some… *pant* other Umbreon… Followed you to the Felíge… *pant* Saw you blow that guy's brains up… *pant*." Ed smiled.

"Ah, that was me using some psychic powers. You don't need to be a blessed to learn any move you want. It's just that being a blessed makes it far easier. That was something I decided to learn from someone else. Ever hear the name Verus?" My mind flashed back to the boat… They mentioned the name of that Hydreigon as Verus.

"He's a Hydreigon. What else?" I asked.

"He's also the strongest thing in the world. Nothing can stop him, or his demands. He serves the Legion. Head of the army, etc. All that stuff. You don't even know how much honor he gets…" Ed moaned. I tilted my head.

"Uh, we were fighting?" I asked.

"That? Oh that's no fair let me take care of what I was doing. Tell you what, I'm busy as hell right now and I have to take care of other things. On May 1st, go to Cortia City's main park for our fight. Then we can actually fight," Ed agreed. I was confused at what I was hearing. "Now don't go snooping in my business. Or else." Ed then faded from view again, and disappeared. I was a bit awestruck.

More importantly, I needed help. I started to feel the blood build up on the cloth. I rushed down the building while the blood continued to pump faster from fright. I got a cop to notice me.

"I need help! Get 911!" I yelled to him. The cop was surprised, but did as he was told.

Soon enough, an ambulance came by and whisked me away to a hospital to stop the bleeding. That was really bizarre… What does this Umbreon hide?

…

The attendant was frantically searching through files. The whole shooting incident at the Felíge Tréunt was sending shockwaves throughout the Avenger Territory (Will be abbreviated AT), and the poor man was not having a fun time.

He finally found the right file in the cabinet, took it out, and rushed out the door.

He dashed across the hallway, passing across the tattered holes being reconstructed with fine marble and elegant glass. Tattered banners were being taken down, and most likely were going to be remade. The last two days have been the most eventful days of the continent. First the sudden "demon infection" of Terra City and now the massive shooting at the Felíge Tréunt.

He rushed to the round table full of figureheads. On the side of the room others were sitting down. They were Max, Megan, and Brian Regaldi, the man named Skit, the man Oscio, and Fray, and Crow, and lastly a young 15 year old named Kyle. They had more involvement in the scenario than anyone else.

However, all the figureheads were more intent on discussing what to do. Of course, the attendant's information was the important part. He walked over to the Aggron at the table, Kevin Tin. He handed him the papers.

"Everyone!" he called out. The talking stopped and all eyes went to Kevin. "We have our news." Everyone settled and listened. Kevin cleared his throat and said:

"Partonetta is arguably the hot-spot for unusual activity. From the ominous "crescent islands" to rumors of underwater caverns, Partonetta is mysterious, despite our claim on it. We have proof that there are Legion-works in the process, but more importantly there is an underground black-market trading business that prospers here. More importantly, it has been smuggling Legion valuables and goods into Avenger grounds. Not only has this been a major cause, but it upsets the market of both Partonetta traders and the Legion. Due to this, evidence shows that a Legion elite has been dispatched to Partonetta to stop the traders once and for all. This "evidence" was the body of an Umbreon found at the top of the Felíge Tréunt. He was a wanted man known to be a high-ranking member of the trading cartel, and he was killed unusually. While very little outside evidence is shown, it seems that the insides of his head were… utterly scrambled and destroyed. There is no known method to us how this occurred, but since we do not have any men sent out to do such a thing, we assume a Legion member has done this. However… This is merely a coincidence.

The main issue… Is this." He scatters a mass of photos across the table to every single figurehead at the table. The photos reveal a fogged picture of a slender white and red figure in shorts and a t-shirt.

"You all know this person better as Zach Regaldi. We have already briefed you on everything, so let us cut to the chase.

We are unsure whether a Legion elite has been dispatched to kill Zach Regaldi and to stop the traders, but we do know that he is there. It also seems that Zach is responsible for saving a large amount of people from falling to their death, as a witness proclaimed. An officer there claimed that he talked to a Red Gallade wearing a Leather Jacket with shades and a beret. Since we know that there are no other red Gallades, we know it must have been Zach. So what is our plan of action?" Kevin asked.

"We have to help him. We cannot let anything happen to him!" one man called out.

"Agreed!" another called. Soon most people were calling for aid. Max looked at Megan.

"What do you think, honey?" Max asked.

"I think we should let them do their work… I feel that they can keep Zach safe. I also don't want you to get involved in any more chaos… This is his battle, not yours…" Megan replied. Max nodded. He began to talk to everyone else.

"Well what should I do?" Kyle asked.

"Kyle, you've been invaluable to everyone and Zach, and that enough earns you a break," Max replied. Kyle smirked and nodded.

"Alright," he replied.

"How many soldiers should we send?" Kevin asked.

"Well, currently most of our forces are armed to defend the border… We have little to no soldiers available due to that… Perhaps we could send someone from them?" a figurehead asked, pointing the group at the side of the room.

"We prefer to stay out of this," Max stated.

"Well… I'm sorry, Max, but we have very few soldiers available, and they're inexperienced and not properly suited for this. We'd need at least one of you to make sure Zach is safe... I know you want to just relax but Zach is possibly still in danger," Kevin said with a rather sad tone. Max had to sigh to exhale a bit of anger.

"Yes but we're rather exhausted… All of us… It's been quite chaotic for us. We need you to… stand by on this," Max said. That alerted all of the figureheads. Many immediately said that they must reinforce Zach's safety. Kevin calmed them.

"Gentlemen, this is his father. He knows his son better than any of us. So I will ask… Max…" Kevin turned to Max. "Do you trust Zach that he will be safe from a highly powerful Legion elite?" Kevin asked. Max nodded with confidence. The room became silent from shock. "It is his word. We must acknowledge and uphold it. Everyone! We stand by. No forces will be sent to Partonetta." Many of the figureheads were shocked and murmured to each other, but eventually it calmed down. The recurring thought that Zach would be strong enough on his own spread to everyone.

"This meeting is over. You can dispatch to your offices," Kevin announced. Everyone emptied out, Kevin and Max's group staying.

"Thank you, Kevin," Max praised.

"Yes… I seem to have taken the place of A.J. Ron… So I have great influence and strength amongst the figureheads," Kevin replied. He closed his eyes. "Look, Max, I have a family too… But are you sure this is the right decision? I would do everything to ensure my family's safety."

"If it was not long ago, I would have immediately said to back him up. However, with many recent events, I know that Zach needs no physical support. He is smart and strong enough to take care of himself. I know this," Max said with a confident tone. Kevin nodded.

"Ok. It is your choice. Thank you again, and bye for now." Kevin walked out. At the doorway though stood a Blue Gallade. Max recognized him instantly. He ran up to him and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank Arceus… That you're ok," Max whispered. Brian squirmed out of his arms.

"I know… I'm not sure how I lived… but I'm grateful that I am here right now… But please… what is going with Zach? I'm worried out of my mind," Brian asked. It shocked Max that the first thing Brian was worried about was Zach. But he understood that it was hard to separate the two from each other, in spirit and in body.

"Zach is in Partonetta. There is a Legion elite there dispatched to settle a trading scandal, and possibly Zach. I told them not to send reinforcements…" Max told Brian, hoping it would not cause a bad reaction.

"Ok. I understand. I know Zach too dad," Brian said. Max was relieved. It seems that Brian really did reflect his father.

"Alright everybody. We have rooms given to us at the nearby hotel. We'll go from there. Let's go," Max announced. Quickly, everybody got up and hurried out of the building and to the nearest hotel. The sun set and turned the sky into a brilliant red as night hurried in.

…

The Partonetta hospital was a little clustered with patients with the recent event at the Felíge Tréunt. More importantly, Zach was harbored in the hospital, being treated for the wound that Ed gave him. He was a little dazed from the amount of blood loss but was perfectly healthy otherwise, which is impressive considering the situations he has been in.

He was sleeping right now as it was dusk. The hospital was in a clamor but he was luckily on the quieter side of the hospital as machines slowly ticked in a metronome.

At the front desk a Torterra walked into the front room. He sported a fancy shell cover with an elegant under-cover. His tree was currently encased in a foil for protection. He walked up to the receptionist.

"Hello. I am here on the behalf of a person named Zach Regaldi. All I need to know is his condition. What can you do to help?" he asked.

"I will get one of the nurses to bring you to him. Please wait," the receptionist answered. She picked up the phone. "Receptionist requiring nurse to escort Torterra from main hall to floor 4 unit 405, thank you." She put the phone down. "A nurse will come to shortly pick you up." The Torterra nodded and sat back down.

A few minutes later, a Leavanny walked into the main hall and sees the Torterra. "Sir," she called. The Torterra turned his head from the TV and saw the nurse, and nodded to follow her.

The Leavanny brought him to the fourth floor to the cell where Zach Regaldi was. A Blissey was changing some of the devices hooked up to Zach. He was still asleep, but Torterra fixed himself to a comfortable spot and sat down and waited for him to wake up. It took another 3 hours but eventually Zach stirred from his sleep. He didn't notice the Torterra, as he was waiting for Zach to notice him.

Eventually Zach perked up when he noticed him. "Who are you?" he asked. He was too tired, and if he was here to kill him, then it would be done by now.

"My name is Jerry Venel LeSemme, but please call me Jerry. You have been through quite a bit haven't you? Going from your home to the capital, and then blinking all the way over to Partonetta… It's quite a distance you know," Jerry said. Zach realized he must have some idea for extra knowledge.

"Yes… I know this… but… who… are you aligned with?" Zach asked, confused about how Jerry knew his situation.

"You've heard of the Legionnaires haven't you? Well, you should know that we are not a minor. In fact, there's a lot you don't know. How about I discuss it with you in a more _practical_ place? Please, come here at 3:30 tomorrow if you want to know more. I'll be waiting, and if you don't show, I might just have to find you myself. Ciao!" Jerry said, as he left. Zach realized he had a slip of paper on his chest with an address to an apartment building. He looked around, and then slipped it into his pocket. He knew that Jerry had some answers that he needed, so he would be there. But first, a little rest. He laid back down and went back to sleep.

…

The Hotel had enough rooms suitable for everyone's needs. One room for Brian and Kyle, one for Max and Megan, one for Crow and Skit, and one for Fray and Oscio. Everyone settled in and quickly made do with their space. However, Oscio was still uneasy.

"Oscio, come sit down. You haven't rested a wink man," Fray budged.

"Yeah yeah, I'm just worried about Zach- err, more specifically Max, Megan, Brian, AND Zach," Oscio replied. Fray was confused.

"What do you mean?" Fray asked.

"Well, you remember Max and Zach coming and breaking us out right? Well since then I've been doing some outside work. A little more investigation into the topic. We know that he has some supernatural powers. Well turns out, they're not as _supernatural _as I thought. Ever heard of the term 'blessed'?" Oscio asked.

"No. However, you're saying that Zach has some access to really large power…"

"Yes. Since the beginning of the world there have been a race of small, weak, insignificant pokemon called Victini. While their capability for power on their own is minimal at best, they hold the key to legends that we know of. Let me elaborate some more.

There were 100 Victini, and they lived scattered across the world. They had one elder who watched over all the Victini, called the 'Vyun'. He guided the Victini to sentience and guided other pokemon to sentience using a language called Perilene. Back then there was a differentiation of pokemon and the majority of species were thinned out by natural selection. However, the Victini avoided natural selection a clever way. Using some of their mental power, they caused _other _pokemon to gain massive potential while effectively binding themselves to the pokemon, and has them act on the Victini's behalf and further their power. Using this, a select few individual extinct pokemon managed to outlive the rest of their species due to their extreme power. Today these pokemon theoretically exist still, known as 'Crowns' due to their high understanding of their power and adeptness of their power.

The Victini bound themselves to these pokemon. Eventually, the complete power and strength of the Victini would fully go to the pokemon selected, meaning the Victini decays into nothing. Thus the pokemon they bound to were called 'blessed' since a Victini sacrifices himself for the other's good. However, there were many effects of this blessing that caused shockwaves in the pokemon world. For one, a blessed could comprehend any ability or move and use it at their own whim. This made them practically impossible to defeat. Second, the blessed can heighten their senses to extreme lengths. This causes them to gain supernatural perception compared to others. Third, a blessed gains a full mastery of a certain kind of earthly power relative to what kind they are. This is quite massive power carried with it. While it is said to be possible to gain mastery of another kind, it is apparently too extensive and strenuous for all the blessed to undergo.

Continuing, a blessed that completely absorbed a Victini's power becomes one of those mentioned 'Crowns'. These fully heightened pokemon become immune to many natural ailments. To put it simpler, they cannot acquire viruses or natural disease, and thus cannot die of old age, nor does their body age. It stays at a prime state, essentially causing eternal youth. They can only die through brutal murder, which is much harder done than said considering the power of a Crown. If a Victini manages to fully raise someone into a Crown, then the rest of the Victini population is able to repopulate to maintain the 100 Victini populous.

What happens if they cannot become a Crown? They remain in a 'frozen' state. While they retain all the power they gained, anymore growth towards becoming a Crown stalls. They do not change otherwise, and will still die and get sick. If the Victini dies, that is what happens. However, if the blessed dies, the important piece of the Victini that was bound to the blessed disappears, and they cannot live, thus dying. There is no essence of a Crown to spur the repopulation to fill in for the death.

However, there remains one important thing. The Victini were always the sentient species on top. The Victini never died due to their ability to stay safe behind others. The ones they blessed always became Crowns. This was the formula until sentience spread. More pokemon were evolving and adapting, building farms and towns. Along the line, a cataclysmic event caused the Victini to be far too susceptible for surface weather, specifically cold. Thus they fled to the underground, but the chill still progressed. The Victini thus became an underground race, but built massive sanctuaries underground with some aids of Crowns and blessed. They managed to adapt, but eventually the entire pokemon continent as we know it was full of cities and sentient pokemon, and war occurred. Blessed took part as Crowns preferred to stay out of the conflict, thus putting odds in the favor of whomever had the blessed. Eventually, a person found out how the Victini worked, and thus, ordered his people to kill any blessed they found. One by one the Victini dropped. Without the essence of a new Crown being made, they could not repopulate. It was eventually said that all the Victini died through every current blessed being killed, excluding the Vyun who was specifically hunted by an elite.

From there, the rest says that the Crowns spread. Some became focused on trying to find a way to spread their knowledge to non-blessed, so that some could still practice the way the Victini lived, but none were ever able to spread their knowledge to the non-blessed. They were called Vyun Crowns due to their higher knowledge as a result.

Apparently though, a Victini has lived, and has chosen Zach to be his blessed. In theory, if Zach becomes a Crown, the Victini could rise again. But from what I see, Zach hasn't even matched the description of many blessed that I have heard of. It seems he still has some ways to go." Fray was taking this all in. He was pretty shocked and needed a moment to process it all, but he managed to make sense of it.

"Alright… Well… What do we do?" Fray asked.

"We wait. And see if Zach will truly become the Crown. But that will be in the fate of today's situation… The Legion knows that Zach is crucial to whether they will survive or not, but has insufficient knowledge of what to do and does not have full comprehension of the blessed. So again. We wait. And we will see the fate of the boy. I wish him luck…" Oscio replied.

…

As I woke my eyes were fogged. Last night was weird, with that man Jerry visiting me. If he's from the Legionnaires, I'd like to investigate and talk to him. But what about that Umbreon Ed? What if he is actually watching me? I mean, I know this is being paranoid but I feel like I have an excuse to be paranoid.

A nurse came to check up on my status and only a few hours later I was discharged. I had made a recovery from the bleed and my blood count was back to normal. I still had some stitches but they were not bothering me.

The address that Jerry handed to me was 947 Viser street. I'd never been to Partonetta so I'd need to find a map, which was a little easier said than done. I was a little broke, and since vendors need all the money they can get, it took a little bit of begging for a map. I know I could have asked for directions but a map is a little more useful in a place you've never been.

And what do you know! From where I got the map Viser street was a good 3 hour walk away. It seemed I never got any slack in cities.

I often forgot too about the fact I was a red Gallade. Most people in the street turned their head when I walked by. Once I found a private spot I had Vic beam me over a hoodie and a dress shirt. After changing I set back out to get to Viser street.

Partonetta was a nice change from all the cities I had been in. When I was at Vosa Nové it was cloudy that day, and it was going to storm at Terra City. Today was a nice sunny day in Partonetta. It was also very scenic compared to Terra City, where cars and towers were wherever you looked. Here you had villas lining the street with normal people doing their outside chores, and looking to the south you could see the ocean, and to the north was most likely more housing. Outside of the main heart of Partonetta was mostly retirement homes and houses. Partonetta was a little more of an elderly place than other cities, but the nearby beaches and shores make it a popular vacation spot, as well as the resorts in the heart of Partonetta.

I was getting hungry but Vic had no food prepared for me, so I had to brave it out. Ever since some of this chaos started I was naturally able to go longer without key things like food and water. Maybe survivalist tendencies allowed that to happen, but it comes in handy.

Eventually I made it to the address. Before knocking on the door I flipped over the slip I had to see anything. I saw a single drawing on the back of the paper. It was a diamond shape with a zigzag crossing through it, with an N in the center, with its legs extended to go outside of the diamond. I wonder what it meant, but I guess I'll figure out. I knocked on the door.

There was no answer, so I knocked again. Still no answer. I rang the doorbell this time to get more attention off.

After a minute nothing happened. I was getting frustrated I tried opening the door, and to my surprise, it was unlocked. I opened the door to reveal a normal small apartment. Two stories, a kitchen, and a room for casual needs. No one was here though. I walked upstairs to look into the 2 bedrooms. The beds were normal and the rooms looked like anyone's room, but there were no pictures. I came back down to see that the kitchen had no tools in any of the drawers. Only appliances. There was a TV and couch in the living room, but no pictures or vanity items.

What was this place? If no one lived here why were there appliances and such?

I looked around and tried to find a clue as to why I was supposed to be here. But it was a completely empty house, as if it was designed for someone to live in it, but nothing to show ownership. I eventually gave up and sat on the couch, and turned on the TV.

The TV wouldn't turn on. I walked up to it and tried to find the power button, but it seemed to not have one. What sort of TV didn't have a power button? I tried to look and see if the remote didn't have any batteries by opening up the bottom, but there wasn't even a battery case on the bottom. There was no charger, no battery case, no screws. It was a proxy remote.

I walked into the kitchen and tried to run the oven. The grill would not ignite, the oven would not cook, the display wouldn't work. Nor would the blender, toaster, microwave, or sink work. I looked around and saw the bathroom, and tried to flush the toilet. It would work, but the sink wouldn't either. The lights worked fine though.

In confusion and frustration I fell onto the couch to think a second. A Legionnaire member told me to come to this house for more information, and handed me a slip. He _clearly_ knew about me and probably about my power, but never explained it. He came with calm intentions otherwise I'd be dead. There was also that drawing on the back of the paper, but what did it mean?

Before I knew it, I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up about 3 hours later and nothing had changed. If anyone lived here… they would surely return. I decided to fall asleep on the couch.

When I woke next it was nighttime and still no one was in the house. I was getting frustrated.

I looked behind the TV, under the couch, behind the beds and in every drawer, but nothing showed a sign that someone was here. It was a proxy house of some sort.

So why would I be lead here? Was he lying to me? If he was I'd probably be dead… but… I'm still fine.

I was talking to Vic at one point about the issue.

"Wait, a drawing? Let me see," he asked. I held it up to look at it. "That… is the Vyun symbol. The symbol for truth. I forgot you didn't know the text of Perilene… That means the Legionnaires clearly know about your blessing and everything about it."

"Funny how he has _'truth' _for this place. It's a proxy house," I responded.

"Well, there must be some sort of secret to it. Maybe something with Perilene. Try repeating 'Crovasi oés blessed' (I is/am a blessed). Just say it, it's how the blessed use to signify themselves," Vic suggested. Well… what else could work?

"Crovasi oés blessed!" I yelled. There was a small silence, and then I heard a loud clank, and the front door lock.

"Did the door just lock on its own?" Vic asked. I don't think it's a trap… So it clearly must have worked.

"Yes. I think we're in or something," I answered. I got up from the couch and looked into the kitchen. The oven had gone into the wall and revealed a trapdoor. I opened it up, and saw a ladder reach down into blackness. I knew something must be down there, so I quickly slid down the ladder.

After a bit, I felt my foot touch concrete, which means I've hit ground. I hopped off the ladder, and conjured a fire on my hand to help light the way. There was a hallway in front of me that led to a plain black wall. I walked up to it and placed my hand on it. The wall had an image of white where I placed my hand. After a bit it faded away. I knew what it meant. I drew the Vyun symbol on the wall, and it quickly faded away and revealed a short hallway that had light at the end. I walked forward and saw a large open room with machines and devices everywhere, with a kitchen, TV, and a couch. There was no one here, but there were doors to the left and right. I went to the left and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" a voice asked after a few seconds.

"My name is Zach Regaldi," I answered. After a short moment the door was slowly opened. A shotgun peered through the opening pointed right at me. I backed up slowly. Soon a face emerged from the wall, showing a Throh. He kept walking towards me with the shotgun.

"You're not invited. Get out. Or else," he threatened.

"Wait! A man named Jerry invited me-" I tried to say before he cut me off.

"We don't invite anyone. Get out or you're dead!" he yelled. I had to make a point. So I tried to pull out a slip. He quickly shot, so I ducked before he could shoot me. I launched myself off the ground and kicked the shotgun out of his hands. I followed up with a Mach Punch to an ice punch. He was knocked back but didn't flinch. He grunted, took out a pistol from his pocket, and began to shoot. I split each shot with my blade making using a pistol useless.

He got frustrated, and tossed the pistol at me, in which I knocked it away. However, it distracted me long enough for him to use Brick Break to pin me down, then used close combat and finished with some sort of uppercut. It was too much. I was stunned by the power, and was flat on the ground. I tried to get up as he tried to pick up the pistol, but he put a foot on me.

I tried to pull out the slip but he picked me up by the arm. Now that I could see, I used bullet punch to launch myself up and pin him to the ceiling. He tried to shoot but I pinned down his wrist. He retaliated by kicking me and thrusting himself around the ceiling and shooting out psychic beams.

I tried my best to dodge each one, but I got hit a few times. Tired, I let go of the ceiling and used gust to launch myself to him. I hit him with an aerial ace. I knew he would beat me quickly, so I had to get him disabled.

I'm not sure if he knew I was a blessed though, so he lunged at me and try to use brick break to throw me to the ground. I evaded the attack and grabbed his other arm and threw him into the ceiling. I vaulted off the ceiling and to the ground, and came back to the ceiling with a thunder punch, and he was not agile enough to dodge it. He was paralyzed from the attack and stuck to the ceiling. I landed hard on the ground, but I knew it was time. I felt my spike heat up, and my eyes turned red. My arm soon became engulfed into flames.

Swiftly, I launched myself off the ground and slammed into the Throh with all my power. The power was too much for him, and he fell to the ground with a thud. However, I fell with him, exhausted from the strike, and I blacked out from the fall.

…

When I woke up, I was lying flat on a bed, with some bandages wrapped around certain parts of my body.

"You all right there kid?" I heard a voice ask. I was still waking up, so I did not really want to open my eyes. "You hear me son? I'm askin' you a question." He had a very northern-sounding accent. I opened my eyes and saw an Emolga on a stool. I squinted, and nodded. "Sorry about my friend there, he's a big rule-follower. Please, relax." I let go of some tension. He was very friendly. "My name is Terrence. The Throh is Donald. As ya know, we are the Legionnaires, and normally we ain't supposed to let people into our bunkers, but'cha clearly had found out how to get in here, and Donald's first instinct was to get you out, even if it was you. But what I don't understand is how you got in here. Care to explain?"

I took a deep breath. "Recently I've been in some chaos. You probably know all about the Terra City incident, but I was teleported through some circumstances and had to be hospitalized. A man named Jerry came and talked to me, saying that he could give me some more information on what was going on. He sounded like a Legionnaire," I replied.

"Hmm, we've had a lotta Jerry's come in 'n out, what was his full name?" Terrence asked.

"Jerry Venel LeSemme. A Torterra," I answered.

"Yes, he's our prime overwatcher here in Partonetta. You see, you're a little clueless about everything we Legionnaires are and do. I'm afraid I don't have much time either to speak, especially if Jerry invited you to somethin'. How'd you find out we were here though?"

"He handed me a slip with this address and drew the Vyun symbol on the back." Terrence nodded.

"Good. I think he expected you to take some time, or maybe he had to do something else with overwatch. I can locate him anyhow. Just rest here for a sec." Terrence flew over to one of the termini and opened a map of Partonetta. There were a few dots of several colors. He pulled up a file of someone, and looked through it. He sighed, and shook his head. He took out a slip of paper and wrote down an address. "Look, I'm afraid Jerry's gone and had to do some important business, as he's way off from his normal route. I didn't want to do this, but if you're hell-bent on getting information, go to the address I wrote on this slip, with the zip code that I wrote too. If I were you I'd just let time take its course. Now you oughta leave. I'm sorry I couldn't tell ya anything more but that's it. Sorry, now move along." Suddenly he rushed me out of the bed and back through the way I came. Soon enough the black panel was solid again, and the ladder had a light from the house shining down the shaft. I sighed, a little disappointed that I couldn't get anything more, and climbed back up the ladder. I decided that I would sleep on one of the beds secretly, since it was still night time. I'm sure that they wouldn't mind.

But it did seem that the Legionnaires are really organized, and know more than I expected.

I took out the slip of paper and looked at the address.

"009 Vectram Street. ZIP: 38732" I was little confused. 38732 is the zip code for Cortia City. I guess there is one of these Legionnaire bunkers there…

However my memory struck just then. I remember Kyle a while ago at school told me about the Legionnaires and Legions, and said that the main hold, the Cortia Hold, was the Legionnaires' home base. So he gave me the address to the base… He must really trust me. I'm impressed.

I'll go there sometime, but I'm not making any immediate plans. For now, I need to wait. It was almost time to go to the crescent islands, as March 1st was just around the corner.

…

Brian at one point woke up late at night in the hotel. He was tired but found it impossible to fall asleep. He was worried about Zach. And then he realized something.

He reached into his pocket and felt his pendant. He reached into the other one, and found a pendant exactly like his. Brian was crushed.

He breathed slowly, and fought back tears. He eventually stood up, took a card, and took the elevator access to the roof of the hotel. There was a little less air up there, but he did not mind. He took out Zach's pendant and held it in his hands. He then leaned on his knees and kneeled over.

"Great lord Arceus, I must ask of you. Please, I ask you this night to return my brother in safety… Guide him to safety," Brian prayed, shedding one tear, before wiping it off and returning to his bed. He slept like a rock afterwards.

…

The Mole walked up with two bodies with him.

The first body was thin, elegant, and seemed as if it would be posed for a pageant. However, this female body was sagging with the Mole's arms. The Gardevoir was merely 15 years old, and in a fair bit of drama ever since her friend's disappearance. Her name; Alexis Fettner.

The other body was muscular, and rather linear. The fiery compliments of his frame seemed to pivot just as his body shape angled. He was a very logical and contained a form of ESP, not normal for his species. The Blaziken may not have been the superiority of his peers, but his ESP has appealed to the Legion. His name; John Johnson.

The Mole was told fetch them and bring them to The Great Lord and have him analyze them for information.

He walked up to the portal and merely tossed the two bodies in front of it, waiting for a response.

"…these… are the ones… I called for… correct?" the Lord echoed.

"Yes they are, my lord," the mole replied.

"…let me… analyze… their thoughts…" the Lord echoed. The Mole picked up the bodies and placed them in the portal so that only their heads reached in. There was a silence as the Lord did his work.

The Mole quietly waited awaiting a response.

"…I am finished…" the Lord said. The Mole gently picked up the bodies and placed them back on the floor before the portal.

"What is your command?" the Mole asked.

"…we let them continue as they would… if something… out of our favor… occurs… we _intervene_…" the Lord commanded, with heavy slurring on the intervene.

"Yes Lord. I shall rally the information and return the bodies to whence they came." The Mole took the bodies and carried them in a fireman's hold, and walked briskly out of the room.

"…the Blaziken… holds more potential… than we expected… he will make a great pawn…"

…

The Cortia Hold was in scrambles after a report from their Partonetta base. Very important information had occurred.

Terrence, the Cortia Hold Lieutenant, had found the engineer of the hold, Donald, out conscious with Zach Regaldi next to him. After some talking, it turns out that the Prime Overwatch of the Hold had invited him to a talk, before he needed to investigate Etnus Prilis' activities in Partonetta.

It was frightening to see one of the Legion's Top 5 in such an area far from the normal terrain of the border, but he was there, and was clearly on a mission as with the occurrence at the Felíge. However, Zach Regaldi was also found to be in Partonetta, despite the event at Terra City which was reported by the Big O.

The Legionnaires were an interesting organization. They've existed ever since the Legion was told to silence any other religion, which was not long after their formation. Their religion was one devoted to the worship of the ancient deities of the crowns. They were the only ones that knew about the crowns and the Victini, and were the only people to carry on the language of Perilene. They escaped to the Avengers and made a business at a city not far from the border, in which they made an underground bunker that acts as the center for the Legionnaires, called Cortia Hold. Originally called the Henneolais, which is Perilene for fragments, they changed their name to the Legionnaires to appeal to new members, as they were more of an open organization back then.

However, as war intensified, it was clear that they would have to choose a side if they continued their current work. Thus, they closed their borders and solidified themselves as a non-aligned organization, open to almost none.

Eventually they learned that one Victini had lived and was now the elder Victini, and had selected his blessed. Thus they immediately began to monitor the blessed, only shocked to find him to be a young boy, and the son of a plane-skipper, with the unusual Asphynxia-B defect caused by the gene he carried that caused his skin to become red. It was quite surprising, but they were unsure what to do. Eventually they decided to go on the bet that with this blessed, the Victini would be able to repopulate and return. They thus knew that Zach must be guarded.

However, it did not take long for the Legion and the Avengers to realize that the boy was gifted. They may not have directly realized that he was a blessed, but they knew he could tip the scales of the war. Eventually the plan was made by the Avengers to train the boy before the Legion would become strong enough to win the war. This meant serious amplification for Zach to achieve his strength, so they purposely alerted the Legion about Zach for them to come and make him stronger through their attacks. They knew that they must protect him as well, so they would make sure he would not die.

Alerted, the Legion knew that Zach would break the balance. The Great Lord of the Legion ordered him to die at first, then shortly recalled his command in interest of his potential, and considered a possibility of taking him and recruiting him into the Legion via persuasion.

The Legionnaires had their own interests however, and knew that they must watch Zach. Whether he would die from the Avengers or Legions, or whether he would flourish to be the returned Blessed, and nonetheless _the _blessed since his Victini was the elder. They decided to remain neutral and anonymous to Zach. Should Zach fully advance to his glory, they would be his loyal worshippers. If not, they would simply act as they always did, and worship the present Crowns.

However this new information has alerted the Legionnaires and now puts their existence in a nasty spot. They now are no longer anonymous to Zach, meaning he knows more of the Legionnaires now.

Queen Taylor, the leader of the Legionnaires called for a mass gathering of everyone in the Cortia Hold. This had not occurred since Zach's presence was discovered.

Eventually, everyone tuned into the termini to witness the discussion with the Queen.

The office was filled to the brim. They had managed to pack everyone in the Hold to 3 separate rooms, with only the high members of the Legionnaires in the office. Much nervous chat was occurring amongst the high members, and general fear was felt through the hallways of Cortia Hold.

However, all talking silenced immediately as the Swampert entered. She lacked a front right leg, and had an eye patch on her right, and a long line of stitches ran down to her back left leg. Instead, where her front right leg _would be _was instead held up by a wooden stick made to fit where her leg would have been. This Swampert was has outlived any other pokemon, living to be 467 years old. She's managed to gain immunity to almost every sickness, and normal late-life syndromes have not occurred in her body. While she's unspeakably old, she has the fitness of a 70 year old instead (compare this to about a 35 year old human). Her name was Taylor Zevra, or better known as Queen Taylor, or the Priest of the Crowns. She was the leader of the Legionnaires, and was the one of the most intelligent pokemon on the planet.

Everyone stood up in her presence.

"Sit down," she said in a rough voice. Everyone sat. She took her spot and rested.

"As you know, it turns out that Zach Regaldi actually has in depth knowledge of us. While we originally sought to stay anonymous from the boy and let the world have its way with Regaldi, it seems that we may be dragged into a series of events that pull us towards a side in the war. Our intentions were to stay non-aligned with any cause in the war and to simply carry on as an organization. However… that may not be so possible. So today we shall discuss what to do about the current situation." A Shiftry raised his hand. "Yes Nolan?"

"Just a little bit of further information, he also has received notice form an outside source about the _exact _location of the hold. I merely wanted to clarify," the Shiftry answered.

"Thank you Nolan. Your information is helpful. So, let's start off simple. What shall we do about Regaldi himself? Discuss amongst yourselves for a second." With that, many of the people at the table talked amongst each other figuring out what to do. After a few minutes, it seemed the members had reached an agreement. A Charizard raised his hand.

"Has a conclusion been reached Charles?" the Queen asked.

"Yes. It seems we are equally… undecided. A good portion of us want to assassinate Regaldi while the rest want to merely let the course continue. As of right now, no unified answer has been made," the Charizard replied. The Queen sighed. She knew it wouldn't be easy.

"Understood. If we are not going to make a unified decision, we will have to make a total vote. It seems our meeting will be short lived for now, but effectively, all Legionnaire members are to post whether they would like Regaldi to be assassinated or whether we should leave Regaldi on his own. Everyone, you are dismissed," the Queen announced. Quickly enough, everyone poured out of the room. She sighed and sought solace in her personal room. Ever since Regaldi had come into play the Queen was always nervous about the general health of the Legionnaires. There was an extreme volatility in Regaldi, and it was shown clearly by his recent ventures.

The Queen though never seemed to be able to get a rest. Recently the Big O had joined the Legionnaires and since then it's been clear that the Legionnaires have a bigger voice with him. He also witnessed the Terra City event firsthand.

However, with the recent strife amongst what to about Regaldi, the Queen was feeling something else. A different, irritating rage that comes about when being stuck. Frustration.

The Queen almost never became frustrated, and when she did, her temper was awfully short. She only sought one person for calming down and dealing with the frustration, and it was someone rather interesting.

His name, or rather the person, was Registeel, an iron golem who had lived since the dawn of the world. He had seen the world age and progress before his very eyes for over ten thousand years. Since the Legion sought to clear out the ancients of this world, he knew he was in danger being exposed. Nonetheless, when he found his old friend Taylor had organized the Legionnaires, he sought shelter with them in the Cortia Hold as soon as construction began.

She did not visit him often since he was such an important figure as a consultant for the Legionnaires (considering that he is almost like a crown and has the perspective of one, and the wisdom of ten thousand years). However, this was a frightening time. So she visited him in the concealed department of the Hold, where only she and the Big O could enter.

So she approached the meditating golem. Registeel was not surprised at her appearance.

"Taylor, what do you seek from me?" Registeel asked.

"Registeel, times are worrisome for me. I fear more for the Legionnaires than Zach. It looks like the entire set of the Legionnaires are undecided. I want to take control for my opinion and just let it go, but it just seems that I would lose favor of the Legionnaires… And I want to preserve our numbers," the Queen responded.

"It's true. Fickle minds can often act rather… unpredictable, but sometimes force must be exerted. However, honestly, you have many loyal servants, and all that I've seen in this organization is devoted to the cause and would follow you to hell. Don't be afraid to take charge sometimes. If you really want to reach a consensus, I'd say ask the Big O. His judgment is practically as prime as yours, and he is in far better condition than you. What do you think of that idea?" Registeel asked. The Queen pondered leaving the decision up to the Big O. It's true that he was much stronger than her, and his importance in the Legionnaires was unparalleled. The Queen trusted him very greatly, so she thought it would be proper.

"I think that is the way to go. I've had enough decisions to make recently, and he has more relation to this than anyone else in the Legionnaires. Thank you Registeel, for your guidance," the Queen answered.

"You are welcome Taylor," Registeel replied. The Queen then left the chamber and took out her cell phone, and called the Big O.

"Hey O, are you there?" the Queen asked.

"Taylor, what is it? I was going to submit my poll," the Big O replied.

"I was too split on what to do, and after consulting Registeel, we decided that you would be best to decide what to do about Zach. After all, you're closer to him than the rest of us," the Queen told him. The Big O was a bit quiet. It was true that he was closest to Zach, but he had zipped very far away from him. However, he had different ideas.

"Well, we're split on whether to kill or to let him take his own path, but personally, I think it's time we take a stand, but still stay neutral to the war."

"You can't possibly mean-"

"We should see if he is interested in joining us. If he is not, let him have his way, but if he is, I think it would optimal for us. After all, he seems not too fond of the Avengers, and we know his grudges against the Legion would stand." The Queen was silent. She was unsure to think what would happen if Zach were to join the numbers of the Legionnaires. It would put them in a dangerous spot. But at the same time…

Zach was a blessed, and he was acquiring his power much faster than any other blessed had, most likely due to his Victini being the elder. He was also much more mature than a simple 15 year old from his experiences, not to mention his first-hand views of the war. And if he were to achieve maximum strength, it could lead to the revival of the Victini. Now the Queen saw where the Big O had his reasons.

"I think that would be the right way. I'm not sure how the Legionnaires will react, but if you can persuade them, I think it should all work out well," the Queen replied.

"I'm glad you saw my way. I'll be back at the Hold in just a few days. I promise," the Big O said.

"Good. It'll be nice to have you back. See ya soon."

"Bye." The call ended there. The Queen had good thoughts now. She had a good feeling about this new course. All she could hope is that everyone else would be content with the decision.

…

When I woke up in the morning, I saw the Torterra, Jerry, waiting on a chair in the room I was in.

"Where were you?" I asked, a little irritated.

"I'm sorry, Zach, I had to investigate some chaos in the underground tunnels. I am the overseer of this town for the Legionnaires. However, I have a different duty right now. It was said that a 'young red Gallade' was at an oceanographer's house not long ago to study the islands, and pointed out the Delta and Beta islands of the Dreamer Ocean. You want to visit them, don't you?" Jerry asked. I was shocked. He knew all about what I was planning.

"You hit the nail. What do you want with that though?" I asked.

"I can take you there. I have a patrol boat that can take us anywhere at sea. What do you say?" Jerry asked. It sounded good enough, and if he was looking for good intentions, why not? It would save a long swim.

"Yes, but it's still a week away. Where am I going to stay?"

"I can get you a hotel room. Have no worries, I'll give you extra money so you can enjoy the luxuries of Partonetta until March 1st comes." I was getting happier by the moment.

"That would be great. The only last part I would like is a way to get back home… I know this is a bit greedy, but can you pay for a flight back to Terra City or Heidelberg?"

"That would be feasible. It would help if you would know where to go, though." I'd have to call to find out where they would be.

"Well, I can call my family and see where they will be. For now, can we go to a more suitable place?" Jerry nodded. I smiled. "Let's go then."

Jerry got me a high-class hotel room in one of the casinos in the heart of Partonetta. Since it was right off shore, he made sure to dock his boat as close as possible to the hotel. I had 5 days until the night of March 1st, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the sights of Partonetta. It was nice to have some time to relax considering all the recent chaos. However, once I had access to the hotel phone, there was something important to do.

I dialed my brother's cell phone number. After a few seconds, he picked up.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Brian?" I asked.

"Who is this?" he asked once again.

"It's Zach! I'm in Partonetta," I answered. He then recognized me.

"Arceus! You're alive! H-how?"

"It's a long story that I'll need to save for once I'm back. For now, I need to know something else. I'll be able to return home March 2nd, but where will you be then?"

"Hold on, I'll ask dad." He put me on hold for a bit, then returned.

"We'll be back home in Heidelberg by then. Just… Be there. And in one piece. We've been worried." I smiled.

"I will. Don't worry."

"Ok. See ya bro."

"See ya." The call ended with that. I told Jerry to book a flight to Heidelberg.

The days in Heidelberg went slow and relaxed. I went and took long walks around Partonetta and went sightseeing. I ate various foods across my stay in Partonetta, and it was overall nice and relaxing. It was a shame no one was with me, but Jerry was more than enough for company.

It turns out, Jerry is one of the Legionnaire "Guardians". Their job is to ensure the safety of the holds and the general safety of the area. There's 1-3 per city, usually depending on how important the city is. There is another Guardian for Partonetta, although his job was to watch aerially.

At last, the night of March 1st came, and Jerry herded me to the boat. It was a modern speedboat, and not much else to it.

"There's many people that know about the islands, so there's going to be a lot of security. You may have to sneak by in the deck of the ship, and if need be, go into the floor. There's a specific panel at the nose of the boat in the base of the ship where you can go undetected. More importantly, I wouldn't be surprised if some Legions were here. So stay in the base is what I suggest, and I'll bring you out once we're at the island. Okay?" Jerry asked.

"I hear you. Let's go," I answered.

The night was dark but every boat was required to have their lights on for identification. There were some aquatic police that came to inspect every now and then, but I "met" their requirements so I didn't have to hide.

Eventually, we reached the spot where most of the boats were scattered around.

"This should be where it is, although I can't see it…" he said. I was confused, so I walked up onto the deck. I could see it clearly. An island that was slightly split down the middle. It was heavily forested with trees all over. I could see that it was floating too. A spectacle really… but the real question was why couldn't Jerry see it?

"I see it clearly…" I told him. He was confused.

"Well, in that case should we head closer?" he asked. I nodded. He then made the boat go closer. I looked around in the base of the ship and watched all the lights of the boats illuminate the water.

However, a boat appeared suddenly right at the side of our boat. I looked at the name: "The Aquatic Scout". It was like any other boat, but that wasn't what paralyzed me with fear.

I looked up onto the deck, and saw a Luxray and a Houndoom on the deck of the boat. I recognized the Luxray; it was Alxur.

…

Okay. Now then… I don't think the cliffhanger is any surprise, but I'm sure I have some questions to answer. Not updating in about 10 months is due to A LOT of life getting in the way, and getting writer's block at the perfect time to make my production come to a near halt. I also started a new story since I've began to play a new game (league of legends) and have already made two fan fictions for it, in which I will only work on one.

However, I will say that I am happy to be back, and while sophomore year is just around the corner, I hope that I will be able to work on this and not have such an absurdly long break between writing these chapters. It looks like I may alternate between this and my LoL fan fiction, but I might write a chapter for a story that hasn't been my primary focus.

In the end, I hope to update this story ONCE before the school year starts again, and if there is no new chapter by September, well, I'm sorry.

Thank you for reading, please review with positive or constructive feedback as reviews in general let me know that you appreciate the story.

Have a good day readers and writers, I will see you next time.

~DTH~


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